Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Independent Review

Robert Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the conclusions of the Oakervee review into HS2 were reached following a full debate and voting by all members of the review panel.

Paul Maynard: The Oakervee Review’s Terms of Reference set by ministers state that panel members will feed in to and be consulted on the report’s conclusions and make clear that members do not have veto arrangements. We expect that Doug Oakervee will set out the views of the Panel and Deputy Chair in respect of his report which we have committed to publish.

Aviation: Crew

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department and the Civil Aviation Authority will consult on removing the ban on pilots who are over 65 years of age and otherwise fit and healthy from flying domestic commercial aircraft.

Paul Maynard: We understand that the upper age limit restrictions on pilots can be a frustration and the DfT and CAA have worked closely with EASA to understand the evidence on what the upper age limits should be. At present, the UK continues with its policy of regulatory alignment with Europe, and EASA is still considering its position. EASA has recently asked for views from the European Aviation Medical Assessors Council, and it is expected that EASA will consult on any formal proposals developed. We will of course continue to contribute actively, and keep the situation under review when further evidence and/or proposals become available.

South Western Railway: Strikes

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require South Western Railway to compensate passengers for the heavily disrupted service from Woking Station into London during the recent RMT strike.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Passengers are entitled to compensation under the Delay Repay scheme for delays of 15 minutes or more against the published timetable on SWR. The Department are considering all options available to ensure passengers are compensated for this disruption

Roads: Accidents

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential merits and (b) implications for his policies of Oslo's Vision Zero programme and its effect on road traffic fatalities.

George Freeman: The Department has not made an assessment.The Department has adopted the Safe System approach to road safety that features elements of a Vision Zero approach. This is reflected in our 2019 Road Safety Statement, which focuses through its actions on three of the five pillars of the Safe System approach: safer people, safer vehicles and safer roads.  The effect of this approach should be to raise standards and improve coordination, so that avoidable road deaths and injuries are reduced to an absolute minimum. The road safety statement can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-safety-statement-2019-a-lifetime-of-road-safety

Aircraft: Exhaust Emissions

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require airlines to display the level of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions a flight generates alongside price and ticket information.

Paul Maynard: The Government recognises that the fight against climate change is the greatest and most pressing challenge facing the modern world. We are planning to shortly update the Government’s position on aviation and climate change for consultation. The Government launched its call for evidence on carbon offsetting in transport on 18th July 2019, which closed on 26th September. The call for evidence covered how to help consumers better understand the emissions from their journeys and their options for offsetting those emissions. This included looking at whether travel providers/companies should be required to offer offsets to their customers. We are analysing the responses and they will be published in due course.

Heathrow Airport

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the surface land transport upgrades which are necessary to facilitate a new runway at Heathrow Airport.

Paul Maynard: The Airports National Policy Statement sets out that it is for an applicant to demonstrate how it will improve surface access and mitigate the impacts of expansion at Heathrow. The expansion of Heathrow Airport will be fully funded and delivered by the private sector. Where there are significant non-airport public user benefits from changes and enhancements to surface transport infrastructure and services, the Government has made clear it would consider making a funding contribution to reflect these.

Airports

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Airport Commission's final report on airport capacity, published in 2015, what recent estimate he has made of demand for airport capacity.

Paul Maynard: The Department published detailed forecasts of aviation demand in 2017, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-aviation-forecasts-2017 and carried out further analysis of aviation demand in 2018 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714069/making-best-use-of-existing-runways.pdfIn addition, the Department has been carrying out further analysis to support ongoing policy development, which will be published in due course.

Crossrail 2 Line

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the Crossrail 2 project; and what the status of that project is.

Paul Maynard: The Government recognises that Crossrail 2 could provide a crucial solution to address capacity issues on London’s rail and tube networks, while also improving connectivity across London and the South East. I am keen to see a realistic and achievable 50% funding proposal from London regarding Crossrail 2. Officials continue to work with TfL on this funding proposal and the next steps for the project.

Department for Transport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department works closely in discussion with its Arms Length Bodies and facility management contractor to ensure value for money when delivering facility management services. Any increase to the minimum hourly rate set by Government entitles this contractor to pass on its increased costs under the current contract.

Roads: Horses

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents involving horses on public highways were recorded in (a) each of the last 10 years and (b) the last 12 months.

George Freeman: Data on personal injury road accidents reported to the police held by the Department for Transport includes information on horses either as a vehicle (when they are ridden) or as a carriageway hazard for the accident (when they are not ridden and in the carriageway). When they are involved in an accident as a carriageway hazard, horses cannot be separated out from other animals. The number of accidents involving ridden horses and where ‘animal (excluding ridden horses) in carriageway’ was recorded as a carriageway hazard on public highways in Great Britain is shown in the tables below.  By year, 2009-2018   YearAccidents involving ridden horsesAccidents where ‘animal (except ridden horse) in carriageway’ was recorded as a carriageway hazard20091028342010126864201113585120121278042013108734201411569220151016102016103556201784477201873376  Source: DfT, STATS19 By month, 2018   MonthAccidents involving ridden horsesAccidents where ‘animal (except ridden horse) in the carriageway’ was recorded as a carriageway hazardJanuary323February331March822April927May638June727July530August443September1233October836November233December633  Source: DfT, STATS19

M1

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the all lane running system became operational between Junctions 34 and 35A of the M1.

George Freeman: The M1 J32 to 35a scheme opened to traffic in March 2017.

Railways: Death

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of (a) suicide and (b) non-suicide fatalities on the mainline railway network in Great Britain.

Chris Heaton-Harris: There were 268 incidents of suicide on the national rail network during 2018/19. The level has been relatively static over the past five years, with approximately 250 incidents of suicide each year. This represents 4% of the total number of suicides nationally.The trauma and devastation caused by suicide and the social impact on all those affected is immense. In addition, there is a significant operational and financial impact to the industry. There were 846,740 delay minutes linked to fatalities (which includes non-intentional deaths as well as suicide) on the railway during 2018/19, with associated costs more than £68m.There is concerted activity by the rail industry to manage the risk and put in place suicide prevention strategies.The industry’s suicide prevention programme is a partnership between Network Rail (NR), the Samaritans, the British Transport Police (BTP) and the wider industry. The programme also works closely with other suicide prevention experts, national agencies and charities such as Public Health England and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance to develop and maximise its impact. This programme has been recognised as an exemplar externally, and the previous Suicide Prevention Minister met rail representatives to discuss how learning from it can be shared more widely.As a result of this work, there were nearly 2,000 lifesaving interventions on rail last year. Six people were saved for every one that took their life.I was also pleased to see that over one hundred railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales took part in the Samaritans’ Brew Monday earlier this week, with volunteers handing out teabags to commuters and people passing by so they can share a cup of tea with someone they care about and to help people become better listeners.

Motorways

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of breakdowns on motorways that do not use (a) all lane running and (b) dynamic hard shoulder take place (a) in a live lane and (ii) not in a live lane; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The table below includes all breakdown cases where the location has been categorised as being in a live lane or not in a live lane. Breakdown - live laneBreakdown - not in live laneCalendar YearFrequency%Frequency%201627,00420.3%106,13479.7%201726,06021.0%98,31779.0%201829,98719.7%122,07680.3%201927,41021.0%103,06179.0% Data which has not conformed to these two location descriptions is not included within the table.

Motorways: Safety

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the potential safety benefits to roadside rescue and recovery operators of being permitted to use red lights; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The previous Government announced its intention to review available evidence to see if a more flexible approach might be appropriate regarding amending regulations to permit the use of red flashing lights by road recovery operators. The Government is committed to improving road safety. The Department is commissioning this study, which will involve an assessment of the potential risks and benefits. A decision to review the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 will be taken once the study has reported.

Roads: North of England

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timescale is for receiving an application from Highways England for a Development Consent Order for the Mottram Bypass element of the Transpennine upgrade programme.

George Freeman: The Development Consent Order for Mottram Bypass will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate this calendar year to support a proposed start of works for the scheme in 2021/2022.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291096 on Cycling and Walking: Finance, what additional funding will be allocated for (a) walking and (b) cycling to meet Government targets for levels of activity in those areas.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The levels of funding for cycling and walking in future years will be matters for the forthcoming Budget and Spending Review, further details of which will be announced in due course. The Government is committed to investing in cycling and walking to achieve the aims set out in the 2017 statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS), and the manifesto included a commitment to create a new £350 million cycling infrastructure fund.

Department for Transport: Iron and Steel

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of steel procured by his Department was produced in the UK, in each of the last five years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Government’s guidance on the procurement of steel was published in November 2015 and subsequently updated in December 2016. In DfT, steel is only purchased directly by Network Rail. Both Highways England and High Speed Two Ltd procure steel through their respective supply chains. The guidance has been fully adopted by DfT for all in-scope projects and we have been required to report on its implementation (and the % of UK steel directly purchased) since January 2017. The percentage of UK steel we have reported is set out below.YearProportion of UK Steel procured by DfTJune 2018-1993 %June 2017-1893.5 %Jan-June 201795 %

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will maintain the UK's levels of (a) maternity leave and (b) other employment rights in the event that the EU changes its policies on those rights.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has committed to protect workers’ rights after the UK has left the EU. We will continue to enhance them in the best way for the UK, and have announced in the Queen’s Speech that we will be bringing forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reform of workers’ rights in over 20 years.In accordance with the Political Declaration on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, in future if the EU changes its law in relation to workers’ rights, the UK will not be obliged to align. Instead the UK Parliament (in respect of Great Britain) and the Northern Ireland Assembly will be responsible for deciding on future changes to workers’ rights in the UK.In relation to maternity leave specifically, the UK offers pregnant women and new mothers up to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave, which is already significantly more generous than the EU minimum of 14 weeks. Policies to support working families will be key to achieving our goal of making the UK the best place in the world to work.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in her Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Nadhim Zahawi: The introduction of General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the right of recognised Trade Unions to bargaining information in accordance with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions she is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for her Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to her Department.

Nadhim Zahawi: We value the work of all staff, whether employed directly by the Department or employed by our contractors. All staff employed by our facilities management contractor are already paid above the rates of the National Living Wage for 2020.Our facilities management contract is sourced from the Crown Commercial Service Framework and reviewed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index and is not linked to any increase in the National Living Wage.In order to ensure value for money to the UK taxpayer, a fixed fee formula is used. The fixed fee means that any significant cost changes beyond the annual Consumer Price Index are negotiated with the contractor to ensure the financial viability of the contract and value for money. We have set contractor pay rates following this process.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 11 January 2017 to Question 58968 on Employment Tribunals Service: Fines, how many (a) warning notices and (b) financial penalty notices have been issued to respondent employers to date under section 150 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 for failure to pay an employment tribunal award; how many of those financial penalties (i) have been paid and (ii) remain unpaid; how many previously unpaid awards have been recovered by his Department following (A) the issuing of a warning notice only and (B) the issuing of both a warning notice and a financial penalty notice; and how much money was recovered in each category.

Kelly Tolhurst: Under this government a total of £2,566,414.19 in previously unpaid awards has been secured for workers since April 2016. £1,343,941.96 has been recovered as a result of only issuing a warning letter. A further £1,222,472.23 has been recovered as a result of issuing both a warning letter and a penalty notice. The Employment Tribunals penalty regime promotes and secures prompt payment of unpaid employment tribunal awards and Acas settlements.The penalty regime for failure to pay employment tribunal awards started in April 2016. Since then 2,067 warning letters and 1,302 penalty notices have been issued.Of the 2,067 warning letters that have been issued:157 are being pursued through a debt collection agency;459 have been pursued through a debt collection agency but the penalty has not been recovered;509 were withdrawn because the employment tribunal award was paid;647 are not enforceable due to liquidation and/or insolvency;258 are currently within the payment period; and37 financial penalties have been paid.

Disability: EU Law

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals to replicate the European Accessibility Act when the UK leaves the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



The UK believes in robust legislation on accessibility as evidenced by the landmark Disability Discrimination Act. We have always supported the aims of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in seeking to improve the accessibility of a range of products and services to citizens with disabilities. Once we leave the EU, the Government will consider how to improve or enchance accessibility in domestic legislation.

Business

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to negotiate access to EU markets for UK (a) professional and (b) legal services businesses during the implementation period for the UK's departure from the EU.

Nadhim Zahawi: This Government recognises the importance of the professional and business services sector, including legal services, and the valuable contribution it makes to the UK economy. During the Implementation Period trading terms between the UK and EU will remain the same and businesses will continue to have access to EU markets.

Renewable Energy

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the effect of renewable energy guarantees of origin certificates regulations on the level of supply of energy from green sources.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate she has made of the number of energy packages sold to consumers where the advertised figure of 100% green has been based on the purchase of Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether she plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the regulations on (a) Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates and (b) the advertising of green energy packages; and if she will make a statement.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin scheme derives from EU law and is intended to provide transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable generation. The vast majority of REGOs in the UK are issued to projects that are also in receipt of public subsidy, so it is difficult to isolate the exact impact REGO value will have had on the business cases for individual projects or on renewables deployment overall.The Electricity (Fuel Mix Disclosure) Regulations 2005 requires electricity suppliers to declare the fuel mix of their supply. This lays out the method suppliers must use to calculate the fuel mix that they publish on their website and use in promotional materials. Companies include electricity covered by REGOs as renewable electricity in their Fuel Mix Disclosure tables.Ofgem, as the independent regulator, hold a supply licence condition (21D) which requires a supplier who attaches an Environmental Claim to a tariff to meet requirements on additionality, transparency and evidence of supply. The Government is continuing to work with Ofgem to ensure that regulation of the retail market (including the supply licence) remains fit for purpose through the energy transition as consumers play an increasingly important role in achieving net zero.

Copyright: EU Action

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the EU Copyright Directive in UK law.

Chris Skidmore: The deadline for implementing the EU Copyright Directive is 7 June 2021. The United Kingdom will leave the European Union on 31 January 2020 and the Implementation Period will end on 31 December 2020. The Government has committed not to extend the Implementation Period. Therefore, the United Kingdom will not be required to implement the Directive, and the Government has no plans to do so. Any future changes to the UK copyright framework will be considered as part of the usual domestic policy process.

Business: Stoke On Trent

Jack Brereton: What recent steps she has taken to support businesses in Stoke-on-Trent.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub has received more than £1m over five years and in the previous financial year supported over 5000 local businesses, including ceramics companies. Furthermore, £98m of Local Growth Funding is supporting projects across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire such as the Heat Academy at Stoke-on-Trent College to help businesses access the skills they need to compete and grow.

Non-domestic Rates

Aaron Bell: What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on reducing business rates for firms.

Kelly Tolhurst: This Government will conduct a fundamental review of business rates. My Retail Sector Council industry co-chair and I have already met the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the Council’s review of the costs retailers face, including business rates. I will continue to engage with Treasury colleagues as we deliver this important manifesto commitment.

Retail Trade: Non-domestic Rates

Sarah Olney: What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of business rates on high street businesses.

Kelly Tolhurst: This Government will conduct a fundamental review of business rates. My Retail Sector Council industry co-chair and I have already met the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the Council’s review of the costs retailers face, including business rates. I will continue to engage with Treasury colleagues as we deliver this important manifesto commitment.

Business: Leicestershire

Dr Luke Evans: What steps the Government is taking to support local businesses in Hinckley and Bosworth.

Kelly Tolhurst: Government provides businesses in Hinckley and Bosworth with support through Leicester and Leicestershire’s LEP Growth Hub. We have made specific investments in Horiba MIRA to support the future automotive industry. This has included £9.5m to establish the MIRA Technology Institute to develop state of the art training facilities to nurture automotive engineers of the future.

Non-domestic Rates

Martin Vickers: What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on reducing business rates for firms.

Kelly Tolhurst: My Retail Sector Council industry co-chair and I have already met the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the Council’s review of the costs retailers face, including business rates. I will continue to engage with Treasury colleagues as we deliver this important manifesto commitment.

Alcoholic Drinks: Exports

Mr Toby Perkins: What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on support for UK alcoholic beverage manufacturers to export their products.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government provides a wide range of support to alcohol manufacturers – through trade shows, hosting bespoke ‘meet the buyer’ events in the UK and abroad, raising the sector’s profile at global events and tackling market access barriers. My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State would be happy to raise this issue with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade when they meet later today.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bahrain on preventing the death penalty for two pro-democracy activists.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As I said on 8 January, we are deeply concerned about the death sentences given to Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa. The UK has raised the matter with senior members of the Government of Bahrain. The UK's position on the use of the death penalty is longstanding and clear; we oppose its use in all circumstances and countries. The Government of Bahrain is fully aware of our position.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next Prevention of Sexual Violence Initiative conference is planned to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Foreign Secretary will host the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative International Conference, Time for Justice: Putting Survivors First, in 2020, alongside the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon. We will confirm the exact date with the House in due course.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding his Department has allocated to grassroots organisations for the (a) prevention and (b) tackling of sexual violence in (i) conflict and (ii) post-conflict countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Since 2012, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has committed over £46million to end sexual violence in conflict. This funding has supported civil society and international organisations in conflict and post conflict countries to further Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative objectives. These include strengthening justice and support for survivors and holding the perpetrators to account; tackling the stigma faced by survivors; and preventing sexual violence in conflict.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Christopher Pincher: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code. This is not set against facility time.The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Hong Kong: Police

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for diplomatic relations with China of the actions of the Hong Kong Police Force (a) at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong on 11 and 12 January 2020 and (b) during the arrest of a person on UK Consular territory.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have repeatedly made clear that we support the right to peaceful and lawful protest. It is essential all arrests and police actions are made according to the law and conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Hong Kong: Police

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Hong Kong Police Force was called by the Consulate General to the democratic protest outside the UK Hong Kong consulate; and what steps he is taking to ensure the ability for peaceful democratic protest outside that consulate.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have repeatedly made clear that we support the right to peaceful and lawful protest. It is essential all arrests and police actions are made according to the law and conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Hong Kong: Police

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) the well-being of and (b) access to legal representation for the teenage girl arrested by the Hong Kong Police Force outside the British Consulate-General on 11 January 2020.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Throughout the Hong Kong protest movement, the UK has consistently made clear that we expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. We have repeatedly made clear that we support the right to peaceful and lawful protest. It is essential all arrests and police actions are made according to the law and conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Overseas Trade: Burma

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what advice the UK Government provides to British companies on entering into business relationships with the Burmese military.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We offer advice and support on working with responsible local partners and encourage all British companies to undertake their own due diligence on any investment projects. We continue to work with trusted organisations, such as the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, to encourage businesses in Myanmar, including UK businesses, to invest responsibly and conduct appropriate due diligence.Decisions to enter business relationships are the responsibility of the company , as is ensuring they are legally compliant.As the recent UN Fact Finding Mission report sets out, the Myanmar Military and companies linked to it are entrenched across the economy. Some of the relationships are opaque, and being clear about the precise details of ownership of a company or infrastructure is sometimes very difficult. Following the publication of the UN Fact Finding Mission report, the British Embassy has met regularly with British companies and stressed the importance of undertaking robust due diligence.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Christopher Pincher: All civil servants are paid at least the current statutory National Minimum or National Living Wage rates of £7.70 and £8.21 per hour respectively. The Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2020, the National Living Wage increases to £8.72 per hour. By 2024 the National Living Wage will rise to £10.50 per hour, reaching 66% of median United Kingdom earnings. The scope will be expanded to everyone aged 21 and over and is expected to benefit over 4 million low paid workers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: To date, there have been no discussions with private sector companies undertaking facilities management work for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees, as a result of the increase in the Government National Living Wage, are not passed on to the FCO.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of hostilities in South Sudan in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Andrew Stephenson: The first half of 2018 saw some of the worst violence of the South Sudan civil war that led to the deaths of nearly 400,000 people since 2013. Fighting between the Government and opposition groups in Unity State in April and May 2018 was especially violent and was referred to by the UN as 'deliberate, ruthless and violently bloody attacks on civilians'.In June 2018 the parties to the conflict signed the Khartoum Declaration, which recommitted to earlier cessation of hostilities agreements and paved the way for the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed on 18 September 2018. Since then, there has been a significant and sustained reduction in violence between the parties to the agreement. Making an accurate assessment of fatalities and conflict incidents in 2018 and 2019 is challenging but, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, fatalities reduced from 848 in 2018, to 485 up to November 2019.South Sudan remains a violent country and fighting continues today in some areas, most notably in Central Equatoria between the Government and the National Salvation Front, a militia group who are not signatories to the agreement. Further, whilst inter-communal conflict over resources and historic grievances pre-date the civil war, they have been exacerbated by it and continue to this day.What peace there is in South Sudan is fragile. The UK consistently urges the parties to 2018 R-ARCSS to implement all commitments in full, to engage in a spirit of compromise and to adhere to the ceasefire. Through our Conflict Security and Stability Funding, the UK also supports the ceasefire monitoring bodies and sub-national efforts to address the drivers of conflict.

Jawaharlal Nehru University: Violence

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 1339 on Jawaharlal Nehru University: Violence, what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on violence at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Reports of attacks against students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are concerning. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised the ongoing protests across India with the Indian High Commission in London on 14 January. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise our concerns with Indian officials where appropriate.

Christianity: Oppression

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the persecution of Christians overseas.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: ​The persecution of Christians, and indeed individuals of all faiths or beliefs, remains of profound concern to us. The scale of this persecution prompted the former Foreign Secretary to ask the Bishop of Truro to examine how the British Government could better respond to the plight of persecuted Christians around the world. The Bishop of Truro published a hard-hitting report with 22 ambitious recommendations. We have accepted the recommendations in full and work is ongoing to implement them in a way that will bring real improvements in the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief, Mr Rehman Chishti MP. This work is being overseen by the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Tanzania: Religious Freedom

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of religious freedom and tolerance in Tanzania.

Andrew Stephenson: ​The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief is a priority for the UK. We regard freedom of thought, conscience or belief as a fundamental human right. Tanzania has a long history of religious tolerance and has alternated between Christian and Muslim leaders since multi-politics was reintroduced in 1992. Our officials in Tanzania regularly engage with civil society organisations, religious groups and the Tanzanian Government to promote tolerance and trust across communities.

Ukraine: Aviation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in achieving justice for the victims of flight MH17.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British Government continues to support the MH17 Joint Investigation Team whose extensive investigations have enabled the Dutch Public Prosecutor to commence criminal proceedings. We have made a financial contribution to the establishment of the Dutch court that will conduct the trial, which starts in March. This will help ensure that the families and friends of the victims receive answers, and that those responsible are held to account for this appalling crime. The government joins the Netherlands and Australia in calling on the Russian Federation to accept state responsibility, and to cooperate with the court to deliver justice for the victims of this tragedy.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

James Duddridge: There are no DExEU employees who would receive an increase to their salary in the event that their hourly rate was (a), (b) or (c). This is because the lowest paid member of DExEU staff hourly rate is higher than these amounts.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

James Duddridge: Any private sector companies undertaking facilities management work for the Department for Exiting the European Union are managed and employed by building owners. The department operates, and has memorandum of terms of occupations (MOTO’s) with those building owners. As part of those agreements, those building owners employ and manage any third-party facilities management companies, so is therefore not the responsibility of the department. The department was recently onboarded to the Government Property Agency to manage the estate and the contracts between the department and those third-party companies. This responsibility would therefore sit with the Government Property Agency.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dementia: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been diagnosed with dementia in the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not available in the format requested.

Nutrition: Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage middle-aged people to eat healthily.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England promotes a healthy balanced diet based on the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, which underpins national policy relating to nutrition. The Eatwell Guide applies to most people from the age of five years, including the middle-aged, and can be viewed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guideThe Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the Government’s 5 A Day campaign, PHE’s catering guidance, PHE social marketing campaigns and the NHS.uk website. These can be viewed at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-5-a-day-logohttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthier-and-more-sustainable-catering-a-toolkit-for-serving-food-to-adultshttps://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/PHE’s social marketing campaign One You was developed to encourage middle-aged adults to make and sustain changes to improve their health. The campaign focuses on promoting eating well, quitting smoking, physical activity and reducing alcohol consumption. One You provides information, advice and online tools, including the ‘How Are You’ quiz, website, email programme, and a suite of mobile apps. The One You campaign can be viewed at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/PHE also continues to work closely with local authorities to encourage use of PHE tools and resources on nutrition, as part of local initiatives.

Smoking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase the numbers of non-smokers and (b) reduce the incidence of smoking-related cancer.

Jo Churchill: The Government has a proven track record of reducing the harm caused by tobacco and will continue this effort. In the Prevention Green Paper, we committed to achieve a smoke-free generation by 2030. This is in addition to our ambition to reduce smoking prevalence to 12% in adults, 6% in pregnant women and 3% in 15-year olds who regularly smoke by 2022.Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to provide National Health Service-funded tobacco treatment services to all people who smoke admitted to hospital by 2023/24, with specialist service for pregnant women, mental health and disabled patients.

Brain: Tumours

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on introducing artificial intelligence on the NHS to identify brain tumours.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are investing £250 million in NHSX’s AI Lab, which will launch in April 2020. The lab will focus on the use of Artificial Intelligence to help to solve some of healthcare’s toughest challenges, including earlier and better detection of cancer.

Shropshire Community Health Service NHS Trust: Recruitment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to recruit a new CEO for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to enable wider system transformation at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust in order to deliver Future Fit.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to assess the long term health benefits of the proposed Future Fit programme in Shropshire.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the planning phase of the Future Fit reconfiguration of services in Shropshire commenced.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to assess the long term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration of services in Shropshire.

Edward Argar: The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation. The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;- Improved facilities for patients and staff;- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability. As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013. The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

Hospitals: Private Finance Initiative

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional capital funding is being made available to hospitals affected by changes in PFI rules.

Edward Argar: In September 2019 the Government launched a new Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP), which will deliver a long-term, strategic investment in the future of the National Health Service, including a new hospital building programme – through which the Government plans to build 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years.The full shape of the HIP investment programme will be confirmed when the Department receives a multiyear capital settlement at the next capital review. In the meantime, the Secretary of State has confirmed that there will be opportunities for the NHS to put forward further new hospital projects for the next phases of the programme, and that Trusts should continue developing their plans and priorities for local NHS infrastructure.In terms of sources of finance, the Government has launched the Infrastructure Finance Review (IFR) that is looking closely at private sector finance for public sector infrastructure. HM Treasury are aiming to publish the National Infrastructure Strategy, including a response to the IFR, at the Budget in March 2020.

Social Prescribing

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the working relationship will be between social prescribing link workers and (a) her Department's work coaches and (b) non-NHS public agencies.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to support implementation of the social prescribing link worker model, including how they work with emerging roles like work coaches. Social prescribing link workers will work with local partners (such as local public and Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise agencies) to develop substantial support offers which address people’s health and wellbeing needs, including access to employment support.As local social prescribing schemes develop, we would expect to see link workers establishing important relationships with local health and care professionals and a wide range of community groups and services to maximise the impact of social prescribing. Further information is outlined in the summary best practice guided published by NHS England and NHS Improvement in January 2019 at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/social-prescribing-community-based-support-summary-guide.pdf

Medical Records: Databases

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the NHS digital (a) integrated and (b) shared record pilots in (a) Hampshire (b) the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Care and Health Information Exchange is the shared patient record which covers primary and secondary care organisations in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It provides authorised health and care professionals with safe and secure access to shared records of patients they are treating to ensure that decisions about their care can be taken with complete medical historiesHampshire is one of five local programmes currently part of the Local Health and Care Records programme tasked with ensuring there is a national coverage of shared records across England by 2024.

General Practitioners: Attendance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of GP appointments missed each day and (b) cost to the public purse of those missed appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The information is not held in the format requested.

General Practitioners: Blackpool South

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of missed GP appointments in Blackpool South constituency in each of the last three years.

Jo Churchill: The data requested is not collected or held centrally.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of medicinal cannabis prescriptions prescribed on the NHS in 2019.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement is using extant systems to monitor use of the unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in England. In England, these systems monitor the number of items dispensed and associated costs in primary care and the volume of products used and associated cost in secondary care. NHS England and NHS Improvement Controlled Drug Accountable Officers are also collecting local intelligence in both the National Health Service and independent sector.The NHS Business Services Authority is only able to provide information on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines that have been prescribed and submitted to it. The NHS Business Services Authority does not hold information on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines which have been issued but not fulfilled.The following table shows the number of items for Nabilone, Sativex and Epidyolex (licensed cannabis-based medicines) and unlicensed cannabis-based medicines that were prescribed on an National Health Service prescription, dispensed in the community and submitted to the NHS Business Services Authority for reimbursement between January and October 2019 (October 2019 is the most recent dispensing data held by the NHS Business Services Authority).  MonthLicensed Cannabis-based medicinesUnlicensed cannabis-based medicinesNabiloneSativexEpidyolex1January 201944167 2February 201936159 1March 201951171 2April 201949156 2May 201959176 2June 201947187 2July 201954158 2August 201946174 1September 20195817901October 20194617301Total4901,700016Grand Total2,206Note:1 Epidyolex was unlicensed prior to September 2019; no NHS prescriptions for Epidyolex have been submitted at the time this data was produced. In addition to the above, approximately 185 patients have accessed Epidyolex though the manufacturer’s (GW Pharma) early access programmes, ahead of a licensing decision by the European Medicines Agency.

Eating Disorders: Diagnosis

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement NICE guidelines on the diagnosis of eating disorders.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Clinical commissioning groups and providers of healthcare are expected to have regard to national guidance, including National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, and are responsible for developing their own local approaches to its implementation, taking into account local priorities and needs. NICE’s guideline on eating disorders: recognition and treatment makes it clear that a person’s body mass index is just one of the factors that should be taken into account to determine whether to offer treatment for an eating disorder, but that it should not be used on its own. This is reiterated in guidance issued to commissioners and providers of adult eating disorder services in August 2019 with the aim of improving both timely access to, and the quality of evidence-based treatment in eating disorder services for adults and older adults. This is available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/aed-guidance.pdf

Incontinence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether adult and paediatric incontinence is classified as a long-term medical condition by the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Health Service supports patients with health problems that affect them over both the short and long term. Adult and pediatric continence challenges are already being considered as part of the National Bowel and Bladder Health Project to support the delivery of the ambitions of the Excellence in Continence Care Programme within the NHS. This is led by NHS England and NHS Improvement and is aimed at improving the experience of care for patients and their carers.This programme will work towards a model of care which takes into account the expertise and resources of the people with long-term conditions and their communities, which the National Bowel and Bladder project aims to support via the clinical pathway workstreams. This will help to provide a holistic approach to patient care and lives, and help individuals achieve the best outcomes possible.

Incontinence: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training is provided to GPs to ensure that they have adequate knowledge of the (a) causes and (b) health management of adult and paediatric incontinence.

Caroline Dinenage: All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.

Department of Health and Social Care: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Caroline Dinenage: The General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the Department in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.The Department complies with the obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.In line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer, including where this arises under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”.The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Brain and Spinal Injuries

Mrs Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the rate of misdiagnosis of (a) brain and (b) spinal injuries.

Mrs Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding he has allocated from the public purse to support avoidance of misdiagnosis of (a) brain and (b) spinal injuries.

Mrs Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) brain and (b) spinal injuries mistakenly diagnosed as post concussion syndrome.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not collected, and no assessment of trends or estimates of misdiagnosis incidence has been made. Furthermore, the funding of the vast majority of NHS services is a local matter, with services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups according from individual resource allocations according to local need. To support clinicians in the assessment and diagnosis of head injuries, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced the evidence-based guideline, ‘Head injury: assessment and early management’. Updated in 2019, the guideline sets out best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of people with head injuries, including the use of appropriate diagnostic tools. In 2017 NICE also published a guideline on assessment and early management of spinal injuries, which references sections of the head injury guideline to support consistent diagnostic and assessment approaches. Both sets of guidance can be found at the following links: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg176 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng41

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is on course to meet its 2024 target of a maximum four-week waiting time for children and young people who are referred to a mental health specialist.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS England is currently working nationally with 12 pilot sites to test the feasibility of delivering a four-week waiting time for access to National Health Service mental health support. Delivering and maintaining a waiting time across the large and complex children and young people’s mental health pathway is a challenge, and we are proceeding carefully so as not to establish any perverse incentives. The pilots will test not only what it takes to achieve and maintain a four-week waiting time, but also how best to define and measure this access to specialist children and young people’s mental health services. The agreed pilots end in 2020/21. Results will then be evaluated. The Department and NHS England will consider the results of the evaluation and will look at its implications for the development and rollout of access and waiting time standards for all children and young people who need specialist mental health services.

Department of Health and Social Care: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Caroline Dinenage: All employees in the Department currently receive a higher hourly pay rate than £8.72 and also higher than £9.30. 10 employees (0.59%) would receive an increase in their salary if their hourly pay rate was £10.00.

Department of Health and Social Care: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department uses EMCOR for total facilities management service. All the EMCOR staff are paid more than the National Living Wage and therefore there is no cost impact on the Department.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health treatment.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We have committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24 which will see spending for children and young people’s mental health services growing faster than the overall spend on mental health, which will itself be growing faster than the overall National Health Service budget. This multi-billion investment, which is part of the NHS Long Term Plan, will give greater mental health support to an extra 345,000 more children and at least 380,000 more adults.In addition, NHS England is working nationally with 12 pilot sites to test the feasibility of delivering a four-week waiting time for children and young people to access to NHS mental health support. This is an outcome of our Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health.The agreed pilots end in 2020/21. Results will then be evaluated. The Department and NHS England will consider the results of the evaluation and will look at its implications for the development and rollout of access and waiting time standards for all children and young people who need specialist mental health services.

Mental Health: Children

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to assess the mental health of (a) primary and (b) secondary school aged children.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department has committed to conduct a survey every seven years on the prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people. The most recent survey is the ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017’, published in November 2018.

Suicide: Children

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding he plans to allocate to the prevention of child suicide over the next five years.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are taking action to prevent child suicide through continued increasing investment in mental health services. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, mental health services will continue to receive a growing share of the National Health Service budget, with funding to grow by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. Spending for children and young people’s mental health services will grow faster than the overall spend on mental health, which will itself be growing faster than the overall NHS budget.This increased funding will ensure that by 2023/24, at least an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25 will be able to access support via NHS-funded mental health services and school– or college-based mental health support teams.We are also investing £57 million specifically in suicide prevention and bereavement services in all areas of the country by 2023/24.

Paramedical Staff: Training

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his plans for restoring bursaries for nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students will include Paramedic Science BSc students.

Edward Argar: From the academic year 2020/21, new and continuing paramedic science students on eligible pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate courses at English universities will receive an annual maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per academic year. Some paramedic science students may also be eligible for additional funding, including non-repayable financial support to help with childcare costs. The NHS Business Services Authority will be publishing further information as soon as possible.

Social Services: Children

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 686 on Social Services, whether he plans to include proposals to reform child social care in that Green Paper on social care.

Caroline Dinenage: Responsibility for proposals to reform children’s social care is for the Department for Education.The Department for Education is investing to deliver high quality children’s social care and are bringing more local services out of inadequate ratings and delivering programmes to strengthen the social work workforce.Alongside this, the Government is providing councils with an additional £1 billion for adults and children’s social care in every year of this Parliament. This is on top of investing £84 million over five years to keep more children at home safely. The Government is committed to undertaking a review of the care system for children and young adults. This review will allow the Department for Education to go even further, and to ensure that all care placements and settings provide children and young people with the support they need.

Endometriosis: Health Services

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve healthcare for women with endometriosis.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Health Service provides clinical care and treatment for women with endometriosis, including treatment for severe endometriosis through specialised centres across England.To support women with endometriosis, all obstetricians and gynaecologists have been trained in the diagnosis, investigation and management of the condition, which is specifically listed as a topic in the core curriculum for obstetrics and gynaecology.NHS England recommends the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology guidelines on the management of women with endometriosis. The guidance offers best practice advice on the diagnosis and treatment of women with suspected endometriosis as well as the effectiveness of medically assisted reproduction for endometriosis-associated infertility. It also provides information on the management of patients in whom endometriosis is found incidentally (without pain or infertility).NHS England also expects providers to adhere to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance regarding the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children and young people's mental health services in (a) the Vale of York CCG and (b) throughout the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government’s Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health aims to improve the provision of mental health support through its key proposals, which includes creating new Mental Health Support Teams in and near schools and colleges. The Mental Health Support Teams form part of the commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that by 2023/24, at least an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25 will be able to access support via National Health Service-funded mental health services and school– or college-based mental health support teams. We have also committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. This will see spending for children and young people’s mental health services growing faster than the overall spend on mental health, which will itself be growing faster than the overall NHS budget. The Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group is forecast to spend £4.2 million on children and adolescent mental health services in 2019/2020, including £470,000 additional investment as part of its commitment to achieve the Mental Health Investment Standard.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to local child and adolescent mental health services in each year since 2010-11; and what that funding is in real terms.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information is not available in the format requested.

Doctors: Pensions

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in the annual allowance tax on the (a) retention rate and (b) hours worked of doctors on the NHS pension scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of doctors affected by the changes in the annual allowance tax; and if he will make a statement.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of hours worked by doctors of changes in the annual allowance tax; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Department recognises that the annual allowance may contribute to decisions from National Health Service consultants to retire early or limit their NHS commitments, although a precise estimate of the change in the number of hours worked is not available.The tapered annual allowance calculation takes into account non-pensionable earnings and all taxable income, it is therefore not possible to make an assessment of the number of breaches of the tapered annual allowance.We are, however, listening carefully to concerns raised by senior doctors and NHS employers about the tapered annual allowance.The Department has consulted on introducing flexibility within the NHS Pension Scheme from 2019/20 to allow clinicians affected by annual allowance tax charges to reduce their pension accrual in deciles in order to manage any potential annual allowance tax charges.In September 2019 guidance was issued by NHS Employers informing employers of the short-term approaches that they could take to mitigate the effect of pension tax on their workforce this tax year. The NHS has also implemented an immediate measure to preserve clinical capacity amid the increased pressure on services during the winter period. This will compensate NHS clinicians for the effect on their pensions of annual allowance charges incurred in 2019/20.As part of a wider drive to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to meet demand and transform care, the Government is carrying out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem that has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills. Ministers at HM Treasury and the Department for Health and Social Care have met the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the British Medical Association as part of this review to set a long-term solution. The review will report at budget.The review will also consider the findings from the Department’s consultation on pension flexibility and the Department expects to set out its response to the consultation early in 2020.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce outpatient waiting times for adults with eating disorders.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are committed to expanding and improving services for adults with mental health conditions, including eating disorders. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan’s investment of an extra £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24, eating disorder services are being ramped-up across England.We announced last year that 12 pilot sites will receive £70 million in funding to improve the provision of mental health care in the community. The pilots will bring together staff with expertise in treating a range of severe mental health issues including eating disorders. Alongside work to explore the effectiveness of different approaches to integrated delivery with primary care, NHS England will also test four week waiting times for adults and older adults in the community, and including for eating disorder services in some selected pilot sites. This will build our understanding of how best to introduce ambitious but achievable improvements to access, quality of care and outcomes.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to monitor the delivery and spending of UK Official Development Assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID has robust measures in place to ensure UK Aid reaches its intended beneficiaries. UK aid to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) health and education sectors is channelled through the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism. Our money goes into a dedicated bank account before being paid to individuals who have been vetted in advance. The bank account is only used for UK aid. Independent auditors check that the money paid out from this bank account only went to the vetted individuals after every disbursement.UK assistance to the PA for water and energy will be through the World Bank Partnership for Infrastructure Development in the West Bank and Gaza Multi Donor Trust Fund. UK aid will flow from the trust fund to dedicated accounts that will be managed by the PA in accordance with rules established by the World Bank, and be subject to the review of external financial auditors to provide assurance that the expenditure of funds was only on agreed programme activities.

Israel: Palestinians

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK official development assistance to the Palestinians facilitates peace-building with Israel.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK Government, alongside other governments, works in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to improve the lives of Palestinians in support of our commitment to maintain the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This includes humanitarian support to meet immediate needs in Gaza, support to key services such as education and health in the West Bank, and promoting economic development across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. DFID’s work supports stability and the development of a capable and accountable Palestinian Authority that can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel. We also support People to People work that aims to bring together Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on issues that can have a positive impact on both communities. Building understanding between people on both sides of the conflict will be crucial in helping build support for a peaceful, negotiated lasting resolution.

UNRWA

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the long-term viability of the UN Relief and Works Agency.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is an essential humanitarian and stabilising force in the region, providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees every day. The UK recognises the need for UNRWA to reform to help ensure its sustainability. To this end, in 2018 UNRWA undertook serious steps to improve its long-term viability by broadening its donor base and securing funding from 12 new donors, signing 8 new multi-year funding commitments in 2018, and implementing significant programme reform measures

Climate Change

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential for devolved institutions to further their commitment to climate change action by creating a development finance institution similar to the CDC.

Andrew Stephenson: DFID has made no assessment of the potential for devolved institutions to create their own development finance institution.CDC is the UK’s development finance institution, wholly owned by the UK government. CDC’s mission is to support the growth of businesses in Africa and South Asia, to create jobs and make a lasting difference to people’s lives in some of the world’s poorest places. It does this work on behalf of the whole of the UK.

Department for Education

Languages: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage people to study foreign languages.

Nick Gibb: The Department has introduced the English Baccalaureate performance measure, which includes languages and has seen the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) increase from 40% in 2010 to 47% in 2019. The reformed national curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in Key Stage 2.The Department is investing in a range of programmes to increase uptake of languages at GCSE. Our £4.8 million MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018, managed by the newly appointed MFL Centre for Excellence and run through nine school-led hubs, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. We have also launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.

Sex and Relationship Education: Standards

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support he is providing to enable schools to allocate sufficient time in their timetables to teach high-quality Relationships and Sex Education.

Nick Gibb: The Department is investing in a central programme of support to help teachers introduce the new subjects of relationships education (for primary aged pupils), relationships and sex education (for secondary aged pupils) and health education.The new subjects are part of the basic school curriculum which allows maintained schools flexibility to determine how to deliver the new content, in the context of a broad and balanced curriculum. Many schools already teach the subjects using a whole school-approach, integrating the subjects across the curriculum, whilst others add dedicated curriculum time in order to teach the subjects.The Department continues to work with subject experts to ensure schools are well supported to improve their practice, focusing on an implementation guide, support for training needs, and materials. This will also include sharing effective practice so schools can learn lessons from each other and decide how best to deliver the new subjects.The introduction of these new subjects demonstrates the Government’s intent to support schools in order to deliver high quality teaching of the new subjects confidently, when they become mandatory from September 2020.

Department for Education: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Chris Skidmore: There are no Department for Education staff who would receive an increase in their salary if their hourly pay rate was either £8.72, £9.30 or £10 as all staff are already paid above these hourly rates.

Schools: Uniforms

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the affordability of school uniforms; and if his Department will take steps to increase the affordability of those uniforms.

Nick Gibb: It is for the governing body of a school (or in the case of academies, the academy trust) to decide whether there should be a school uniform, what it will be and how it should be sourced. To support them to do this the Department issues best practice guidance which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.This makes clear that we expect schools to ensure uniform costs are reasonable. Our guidance clearly states that uniform items should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum. It also states that schools should avoid single-supplier contracts but where schools do choose to enter into such contracts, they should be subject to a regular competitive tendering process.No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to a school and this Government has announced its plan to put the current guidance on a statutory footing at the earliest opportunity.

Pre-school Education: Hove

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for early years childcare providers in Hove.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to review funding levels for early years childcare providers in Hove.

Nick Gibb: The Government funds local authorities to deliver the early education entitlements. Last October we announced increases in hourly rates paid to local authorities for those entitlements for 2020-21.In 2020-21, all local authorities will see an increase of 8p an hour to the hourly funding rates for the 2-year-old entitlement and an increase of 8p an hour for the vast majority of areas for the 3- and 4-year-old entitlement (including the Brighton and Hove local authority).Details of rates paid to local authorities can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2020-2021The Government is planning to spend more than £3.6 billion in 2020-21 to support these entitlements. Funding in 2021-22 and beyond will be determined at the next Spending Review.The Department continues to monitor the market closely through a range of research projects which provide insight into various aspects of the childcare and provider market.

Erasmus+ Programme

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 4 November 2019 to Question 1081 on Erasmus+, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the UK's participation in Erasmus in the event of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: The terms of the Withdrawal Agreement mean students, young people and learners will be able to participate fully in the remainder of the current programme and organisations can continue to bid for Erasmus+ funding up to the end of 2020.As stated in the Political Declaration, the UK is open to participate in certain EU programmes, such as the next Erasmus+ programme (2021-27), if it is in our interest to do so. The proposed regulations for the next 2021-27 Erasmus+ programme are still being discussed in the EU and have yet to be finalised.In light of the successful vote at Second Reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, the UK will leave the EU with a deal on 31 January 2020. Our future participation in the next Erasmus+ programme will be subject to negotiations on the UK – EU relationship, during 2020. Formal discussions with the EU on programme participation cannot begin until draft regulations have concluded. Both the EU and the UK committed to do a deal by the end of 2020 in the Political Declaration.My officials and I are preparing for every potential outcome of these negotiations and are considering a wide range of options with regards to the future of international exchange and collaboration in education and training, including potential domestic alternatives.

Erasmus+ Programme

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2020 to Question 1918 on the Erasmus+ Programme, whether it is his preferred option to seek associate membership of Erasmus from 2021.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2020 to Question 1918 on the Erasmus+ Programme, what factors he will consider when determining if it is in the UK's interest to participate in Erasmus from 2021.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of whether continued participation in Erasmus from 2021 would deliver value for money for the Government.

Chris Skidmore: As stated in the Political Declaration, the UK is open to participate in certain EU programmes, such as the next Erasmus+ programme (2021-27), if it is in our interest to do so. The proposed regulations for the next 2021-27 Erasmus+ programme are still being discussed in the EU and have yet to be finalised. Future participation in EU programmes will be a subject of our negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship. We do not yet know the specifics of the next programme and therefore it is not appropriate to talk in terms of any preferred option. We will of course assess the value for money of ongoing Erasmus+ participation in light of the finalised programme design. The UK government wants to ensure that UK and European students can continue to benefit from each other’s world-leading education systems. We are considering a wide range of options with regards to the future of international exchange and collaboration in education and training, including potential domestic alternatives.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Chris Philp: The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the Ministry of Justice in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Prisoners: Discipline

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that inmates found to have used social media in prison are punished appropriately.

Lucy Frazer: We do not tolerate the use of mobile phones in our prisons and will seek to punish those responsible. The Prison Service’s Digital Media Investigations Unit (DMIU) works with prisons to identify offenders accessing websites and shuts these down quickly. In 2019, 387 social media profiles were removed. Prisoners found guilty of using phones or other devices to upload information to social media websites can face punishments including prosecution in court which can result in sentences of up to two years’ further imprisonment. We are investing an extra £100 million across the prison estate to fund additional staff, X-ray body scanners, baggage scanners and drug detection technology at prison gates, so that we can stop phones from entering prisons. The same investment will fund cutting-edge phone detection and blocking technology so that we can stop phones that do enter from working, or detect and retrieve them. Additionally, we are building a new digital forensics facility, which will enhance our capability to exploit intelligence from seized phones.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Chris Philp: All civil servants are paid at least the current statutory National Minimum or National Living Wage rates of £7.70 and £8.21 per hour respectively. The total number of civil servants in MoJ (including HMPPS) paid below £8.72 per hour was 762 (1% of all staff) as at 30 September 2019. The total number of civil servants in MoJ (including HMPPS) paid below £9.30 per hour was 2662 (4% of all staff) as at 30 September 2019. The total number of civil servants in MoJ paid below £10.00 per hour was 5515 (7% of all staff) as at 30 September 2019. For the statutory NLW rate of £8.72 that applies from April 2020, the numbers are based on the total population regardless of whether they have reached the eligible age of 25 to receive the NLW.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice requires all of its suppliers to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay as set out in the Government’s National Living Wage legislation. Changes to the National Living Wage are covered by contractual change provisions within our Facility Management (FM) contracts. As a result, the MoJ discuss with each of our FM service providers the potential impact of any such changes in order to assess the financial impact, taking into account the overall contractual terms and conditions.

Alternatives to Prosecution: Shoplifting

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many out of court disposals were issued for shop theft offences in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice has published information on out of court disposals including Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) and cautions up to December 2018. This information, relating to specific offences, can be found using the Out of Court Disposals data tool.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802305/out-of-court-disposal-tool-2018.xlsxIn the PND pivot replace ‘Outcome’ with ‘Offence’ in the ‘Row’ field. The total number of PNDs issued for ‘DA12 Theft (retail under £100)’ will then be displayed in row 28.In the Cautions filter by ‘offence’ to include only ’46 Theft from Shops’. The total number of cautions issued for these offences in each year will then be displayed.

Crimes of Violence: Retail Trade

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of convictions there were for offences of violence against the person committed (i) on retail premises and (ii) against retail workers in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales. This data does not identify the context or specific location of offences, i.e. whether that offence has been carried out on a shop worker or on retail premises.

Parole

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including hon. Members in the Parole Board's decision-making process for parole for people convicted of very serious crimes.

Lucy Frazer: Parole Board decisions are inherently judicial in nature. It is well established in case law, and clearly set out in the ECHR compliant provisions relating to the Board’s processes, that the detention of prisoners beyond the minimum period set by the sentencing court must be decided independently by a court or court-like body. The Government is committed to reviewing the Parole process to ensure that the system is transparent and effective.

Family Proceedings

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce the demand on the family courts by diverting private law cases from court where it is safe to do so.

Wendy Morton: It can be a difficult time when parents decide to separate but it is important that they are supported to make child-focused decisions in a way that minimise conflict and, importantly, are in the best interest of the child. The Government believes that, in cases where is it safe and appropriate, there are a range of services, such as mediation or other forms of non-court dispute resolution, that can provide parents with a constructive and less adversarial alternative to court proceedings. We will continue to consider options to enable parents to receive the services that are right for them and raise awareness of alternatives to court.

Legal Aid Scheme: Housing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many publicly-funded providers of legal aid for housing cases there are in (a) Newport and (b) Monmouthshire.

Wendy Morton: Details of firms holding a legal aid contract, including their locations and the categories of law in which they may offer services, are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers. The LAA regularly monitors capacity and the available access to services, and takes action where it identifies gaps in services or where demand is greater than the available supply.

Child Maintenance Service: Appeals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for a Child Maintenance Service appeal to be heard under Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Service in (a) Wales and (b) England and Wales.

Wendy Morton: General information about waiting times for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) are published at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics The average waiting time for Child Maintenance appeals between July and September 2019 (the latest period for which data are available) was (a) 46 weeks in Wales and (b) 40 weeks in England and Wales. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available. Data include appeals cleared with and without a Tribunal hearing. Waiting times are calculated from receipt of an appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal.

Children: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that children who have been subjected to unlawful restraint in Medway Secure Training Centre are informed of their right to seek legal advice and redress.

Wendy Morton: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority, and we take seriously any incident of restraint of children in the youth secure estate, including at Medway Secure Training Centre . There are already processes and mechanisms in place at Medway STC to support Children and Young People following incidents of restraint that facilitate them to seek legal advice and redress. Every incident of restraint, including those involving personal safety techniques, is reviewed by the local Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) co-ordinator. Any serious injury or warning sign (SIWS) is also appraised by the national team, with any issue of concern leading to a child protection referral and, potentially, the local authority and police for investigation. Furthermore, the Independent Children’s Rights and Advocacy Services (ICRAS) at Medway Secure Training Centre is commissioned to follow and adhere to the legal frameworks of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights to promote the rights of Children and Young People (CYP). These services support CYP in helping them understand and exercise their rights throughout their time in custody. ICRAS has local protocols in place so that the establishment notifies them as soon as possible following the first restraint incident. The child will be proactively supported by an advocate, including discussing whether the child or young person has any concerns about how or why they were restrained, and whether they wish to make a complaint or safeguarding referral. Restraint is only ever to be used in accordance with the Secure Training Centre Rules 1998 and as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Charlie Taylor, Chair of the Youth Justice Board but acting in an independent capacity, has reviewed our policy in relation to pain-inducing techniques. The Government will respond to his review in the coming weeks.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many and what proportion of staff in her Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Conor Burns: All civil servants are paid at least the current statutory National Minimum or National Living Wage rates of £7.70 and £8.21 per hour respectively. All Department for International Trade employees currently on payroll, including UK Export Finance employees, are currently paid above the hourly rates outlined in this question. Therefore, none of the Department’s employees would see a change in their salary if these rates increased.

Department for International Trade: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions she is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for her Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to her Department.

Conor Burns: The Department for International Trade does not hold any facilities management contracts with private sector companies. All of the department’s facilities management services are provided via the Government Property Agency.

Free Zones: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations she has received from the Welsh Government on the development of freeports in the UK.

Graham Stuart: Freeports are a key priority for this government and we are committed to developing an ambitious offer that will attract inward investment, drive productivity and help rejuvenate deprived communities across the UK.The government is committed to ensuring that Freeport policy works for the whole of the UK and has been working with all of the Devolved Administrations to develop a UK wide offer. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has corresponded directly with her counterparts in the Welsh Government and meetings have also been held at an official level. We look forward to continue working with the Welsh Government as the policy develops.

Trade Promotion: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 1338 on Overseas Trade: Wales, whether she has met representatives of Trade and Invest Wales on promoting Wales’ trading interests.

Graham Stuart: In September 2019, I met with the Noble Baroness Morgan of Ely, Welsh Government Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language, in Newport. We discussed how we might work together more closely on trade promotion and create greater synergies across our sector teams. Present at the meeting, accompanying Baroness Morgan, was Andrew Gwatkin, Director – International Relations and Trade for Welsh Government. In addition, UK officials regularly engage with Welsh Government, to increase awareness of the Department for International Trade’s offer available to businesses in the devolved nations through communications, bilateral visits, and the Executive and Partnership Forums.

Trade Agreements: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of the negotiation objectives for a US trade deal.

Conor Burns: A Free Trade Agreement between the US and the UK would represent an important opportunity to deepen the bilateral trade and investment relationship, and set a global benchmark for how two leading, open and mature economies trade with each other. There are regular conversations with Cabinet colleagues about the UK’s future trading relations once we leave the EU. As part of our commitment to an open and transparent approach, before negotiations start we will publish our negotiating objectives.

Raytheon: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to extant licences for the export of controlled goods from Raytheon UK to Saudi Arabia, if she will set out (a) the type of those licences, (b) their start and end dates, (c) their item codes in the Consolidated list of strategic military and dual-use items that require export authorisation and (d) the quantity of goods exported under those respective licences.

Graham Stuart: Providing the detailed information requested would disclose commercially sensitive information, however we can advise there is one extant Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) granted to Raytheon UK for export to Saudi Arabia. The licence was issued in the first quarter of 2018, with a two year validity and covers the item rating ML4.

Raytheon: USA

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 1036 on Raytheon: USA, how many licences have been issued by her Department since 20 June 2019; what item codes those licences refer to; and whether they are open or standard licences.

Graham Stuart: Seven Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) have been granted to Raytheon UK, between 20 June 2019 and 30 September 2019 for export to the USA. The licences are valid for two years and cover the following ratings: ML4, ML11 and ML22.Licensing data is provided based on information published as Official Statistics up to September 2019. Licences granted from 1 October 2019 onwards have not yet been published as official statistics on GOV.UK and therefore information about those licences cannot be disclosed.

Overseas Students: English Language

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans the Government has to support UK companies based in the UK teaching English to overseas students after the UK leaves the EU (a) with or (b) without a deal.

Graham Stuart: In either scenario, this Department will continue to support the UK English Language Training (ELT) sector. The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a dedicated Education team which has embedded within it an ELT Specialist whose role is to support the sector’s international interests. English UK, the organisation that represents over 400 ELT providers, is a member of the DIT/DfE Education Sector Advisory Group which I co-chair and our English Language Working Group includes key representatives from the sector. English UK received DIT funding to take ELT providers to ICEF (International Consultants for Education & Fairs) Berlin in 2019 and will again in 2020.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Construction

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of affordable housing units built in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: In 2018/19 57,485 additional affordable homes were completed.Details are published in live table 1000: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Buildings: Safety

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the role of professional freeholders in managing building (a) safety, (b) fire and (c) structural risk.

Esther McVey: The government has consistently made clear that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner.In October 2018, the government announced an independent working group of housing experts, chaired by Lord Best, to advise government on the regulation of property agents. The working group presented its final report to government on 18 July 2019. We are considering the recommendations in the report carefully.In line with usual practice, the government’s intention would be to publish an impact assessment on our leasehold reforms as part of taking primary legislation through Parliament.

Holiday Accommodation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to assist councils that plan to impose and enforce a 90 day cap on properties let out on (a) Airbnb and (b) other online sharing economy platforms providing listings for short-term lettings to implement that cap; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The 90-night cap on short-term lettings only applies within Greater London under the Deregulation Act 2015. However, using residential property for short lets over extended periods without planning permission outside London may constitute an offence. Whether inside or outside London, councils already have powers to issue planning enforcement notices against properties breaching planning regulations, and may impose fines against homeowners of up to £20,000.

Buildings: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department commissioned the Building Research Establishment to produce the report External Fire Spread published in April 2016.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 15 January 2020



The research supporting the report External Fire Spread, was commissioned under a framework agreement with BRE Global, which started in November 2012. The research was commissioned at the end of 2014A copy of the report is available at: https://www.bregroup.com/projects-reports/external-fire-spread/.

Building Regulations

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the insertion of the term filler material into Approved Document B of the Building Regulations was intended as a catch-all intended to stop the overuse of can-applied foam and similar materials to fill gaps within the façade of a building.

Esther McVey: Can-applied expanding polyurethane foam is used for a wide variety of purposes. The application of the guidance in paragraphs 10.5 and 10.6 of Approved Document B Volume 1 (replicated in Volume 2) to the use of expanding polyurethane foam would need to be considered on a case by case basis taking in to consideration paragraph 10.4.   These products are commonly used as a joint sealant and as such would not be covered by paragraphs 10.5 or 10.6, but there may be other circumstances, such as being used as a void filler between two layers of construction in an external wall, where paragraph 10.6 and 10.4 would apply.   The guidance in approved documents should be considered in full and in the context to the requirements of the regulations themselves this has been clarified in the clarified version of Approved Document B published in July 2019.

Housing: Standards

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the Future Homes Standard on the UK’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to prioritise energy efficiency provisions in the Future Homes Standard; and if he will make a statement.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including in the Future Homes Standard a requirement for monitoring post-occupancy the compliance of work with building regulations.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason embodied carbon emissions related to the building of houses was not included in the calculations on emissions for the Future Homes Standard.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,  whether he is taking steps to ensure that local authorities have the power to require in new build homes greater (a) energy efficiency levels and (b) reductions in carbon emissions than central Government.

Esther McVey: The Government has committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025. This means new homes will be future proofed, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency. We propose that new homes built to the Future Homes Standard from 2025 should have carbon dioxide emissions up to 80 per cent lower than those built to current building regulations standards.We are currently consulting on a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020, as a stepping stone to this commitment. The preferred option is to set a standard that should result in a 31 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. The consultation is open until 7 February and we welcome further evidence.Our consultation includes estimates as described above, and also includes a ‘roadmap’ that provides an indicative vision of how the 2025 standards will be achieved. We will undertake further modelling and analysis as we prepare the detail of the changes that will be needed in 2025.We are consulting on proposed minimum standards for carbon dioxide emissions, primary energy use, and building fabric. We will issue a response to the consultation later this year after analysing responses received.Requiring householders to disclose the energy use of their homes once occupied sits outside the scope of the Building Regulations and its enforcement regime. We have not proposed a post-occupancy monitoring system as part of the Future Homes Standard consultation.To consider embodied carbon at a building-level would require a standardised method of calculation supported by a robust evidence base and underpinned by widely adopted product standards. There is currently no widely agreed standardised method for certifying the embodied carbon of building products, so it was not included the Future Homes Standard consultation.The Future Homes Standard consultation is considering local planning authority powers in respect of energy efficiency. We will issue a response to the consultation later this year after analysing responses received.

Housing: Costs

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information he holds on monthly housing costs as a proportion of income (a) in each region, (b) among different types of tenure and (c) in other categories; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of that proportion in those categories.

Esther McVey: MHCLG routinely reports housing costs as a proportion of income by tenure in the English Housing Survey (EHS) Headline Report. The most recent data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2017-to-2018-headline-report (see Annex Table 1.13)  The latest assessment of housing costs as a proportion of income by region and other characteristics can be found in the following reports:For the private rented sector, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2017-to-2018-private-rented-sector (see Annex Table 2.3).For the social rented sector, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2017-to-2018-social-rented-sector (see Annex Table 2.14).And for households with a mortgage, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2017-to-2018-home-ownership (see Annex Table 2.2).

Housing Infrastructure Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of Housing Infrastructure Fund funding has been allocated to each of the English regions to date.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new homes will be provided by the Housing Infrastructure Fund; and how many of those new homes will be social rented homes.

Esther McVey: The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a competitive £5.5 billion fund awarded to local authorities in England to support infrastructure projects to unlock up to 650,000 homes in areas with the greatest housing need. To date, the Government has allocated £3.32 billion to local authorities across every English region unlocking up to 283,996 much needed mixed tenure homes.

Housing: Construction

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to change building regulations to mandate all new-build homes to be eco-friendly through the installation of (a) solar panels (b) sustainable heat pumps and (c) advanced insulation.

Esther McVey: The Government has committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025. This means new homes will be future proofed, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency. We propose that new homes built to the Future Homes Standard from 2025 should have carbon dioxide emissions up to 80 per cent lower than those built to current building regulations standards.

Landlords: Licensing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the application for Liverpool City Council to be re-designated as an area for selective licensing of landlords was turned down; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis was for his Department not including the provisions of section 80(4) of the Housing Act 2004 in refusing Liverpool City Council's application to be area for selective landlord licensing.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 16 January 2020



Liverpool City Council made an application for selective licensing under the condition of low housing demand across the whole city.The evidence provided by the local authority was carefully considered against all the relevant statutory conditions, including those contained within section 80(4) of the Housing Act 2004. The application did not meet the statutory tests because it did not sufficiently evidence the existence of low housing demand in every ward in the city, nor that every ward would become an area of low housing demand.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Jake Berry: Information on rates of pay for people working for the Department’s third-party contractors is not held centrally. Rates of pay for people working for third-party contractors are determined by their respective employers and this information is not held by the Department in any format. Employment contracts for staff providing facilities management services to the Department are the responsibility of the relevant third-party contractors.

Buildings: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 1016, on Buildings: Insulation, what his timeline is for publishing the report on the results of the Task 6 Testing and Task 7 Assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



The report will be published shortly.

Housing: Construction

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that developers take responsibility for structural defects on new build properties.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



We are committed to ensuring that developers take responsibility and treat new build homebuyers fairly. Where structural defects are found developers and warranty providers must take swift action to put these right.The Government will introduce legislation to require developers of new homes to belong to a New Homes Ombudsman. Last year, we consulted on the design and delivery of a New Homes Ombudsman and we will publish the response soon, setting out a way forward.

Buildings: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2019, Official Report, col 373, how many owners of buildings with dangerous ACM cladding have been named and shamed.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



As of 31 December 2019, out of the 92 buildings in scope for the private sector remediation fund, 82 have submitted applications. The Department will continue to closely monitor the remediation of buildings. From next month the Department will name those responsible for buildings where remediation is not started.

Buildings: Insulation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter of 10 May 2018 from David Metcalfe and Dr Stephen Ledbetter of the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology to the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, whether following the referenced 2014 meeting to discuss fire performance of facades including the issue of combustible materials his Department agreed that the Building Research Establishment would draft a Frequently Asked Questions document that would confirm that the requirement for limited combustibility would be extended to cladding panels.

Esther McVey: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Demolition

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require owners of buildings registered as assets of community value who apply for a demolition order to offer the asset for sale to a local community group before demolition is granted.

Luke Hall: The Government has committed to improving the assets of community value scheme to ensure that community groups are given the best opportunity to take into ownership the buildings and land which they have identified as being important to them. As part of work we will look at the effectiveness of the existing regime to ensure that any legislation the Government introduces will meet our objective of supporting communities to protect those assets that are under threat.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Johnny Mercer: The General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the Ministry of Defence to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Johnny Mercer: Government Departments have an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties (facility time). This includes paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code. In the Ministry of Defence, time off with pay for safety representatives is not set against facility time. The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Johnny Mercer: The requested information is not currently available. I will write to the hon. Member with the information shortly.

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

James Heappey: The increase to the National Living wage does not significantly impact on the overall costs to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). For the majority of facilities management contracts any increase to wages is absorbed within the pre-agreed overall cost of the contract as a whole, which is agreed at contract award.In those contracts where variation to overall cost is allowed, MOD officials are investigating with the companies concerned, through routine contract discussions, any potential savings in the contract to mitigate the increase in costs associated with wage increases.The intent is to mitigate the impact of any potential cost rises to the Department. It is too early to say at this time what the result of these discussions may be, but there will be no impact on the level of service that is delivered.

Defence: Research

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was received by his Department from the Commercial Exploitation Levy in the financial years (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18 and (d) 2018-19; and if he will make a statement.

James Heappey: The commercial exploitation levy is a form of royalty for any commercial sales of a design, use of special tooling or the granting of licences where the Ministry of Defence has contributed to research and development costs. The gross amount received in each year since 2015-16 is in the table:  Year£ million2015-1620.12016-1710.82017-186.62018-1952.7

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of steel procured by his Department in 2019 was produced in the UK.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a central record of the origin of all steel used in defence equipment projects. This is because steel for our major programmes is mainly sourced by our prime contractors and the supply chains are complex.The MOD does, however, collate some information about the origin of steel for projects with the largest steel requirements. This information is published annually on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/steel-public-procurementThe data was last published in January 2019, with the next iteration due to be published shortly.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the average per hour maintenance cost for the (a) AgustaWestland Apache AH1, (b) AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, (c) Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin II and (d) Westland Gazelle.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the maintenance costs per annum of the (a) AgustaWestland Apache AH1, (b) AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, (c) Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin II and (d) Westland Gazelle.

James Heappey: The average per hour and per annum maintenance costs are given below: TypeApache1 Wildcat1 Gazelle2 Cost per annum£33million£48million£13millionCost per hour£3,451£4,033£3,250* Numbers are rounded and to the nearest hour.1Apache and Wildcat figures are based on actual figures from financial year 2018/19.2 Gazelle figures are the annualised cost for the period 1 April 2019 to March 2025 (planned out of service date). The Dauphin II aircraft is maintained via a civilian contract, on an availability basis, with maintenance cost per flying hour/per annum managed by the contractor. The Ministry of Defence does not therefore hold figures relating to that platform. Figures are based on estimates and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the timeframe for each category of recipients of (a) legacy benefits and (b) tax credits that will be migrated to universal credit.

Will Quince: Universal Credit is now available in every Jobcentre across the country, with a caseload of 2.7 million claimants, growing every month. This means more claimants than ever accessing the additional support and flexibilities it offers.  Currently, most people move to Universal Credit because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit. Claimant circumstances within the legacy benefit system are diverse and interact with a range of benefits in different ways. Eligibility for Universal Credit is dependent on individuals’ circumstances, the specific nature of the change and rules for access to legacy benefits.The Move to Universal Credit pilot commenced, as scheduled, in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre in July 2019. The Department has already committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress. We expect to provide our first update in the Spring. We will also set out an evaluation strategy, developed in consultation with stakeholders, before coming to Parliament in the Autumn with the findings and our proposals for the next phase of the delivery of Universal Credit.

Universal Credit

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants did not receive their December payment before Christmas day 2019.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department took to ensure that universal credit claimants received their December payment before Christmas day 2019.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many payments of universal credit were made as a same-day payment on 24 December 2019.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy to ensure that universal credit payments for December are received by claimants before Christmas Day.

Will Quince: The information requested surrounding the volume of Faster Payments made on 24 December 2019 is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.Universal Credit payments are issued on the same date every month throughout the year. This helps to ensure claimants manage a household budget effectively by knowing when to expect their payment. The Department’s banking system identifies when a payment date falls on a bank holiday or weekend, and will automatically issue the payment on the last working day before the bank holiday or weekend to ensure that claimants are not disadvantaged. We have substantial experience of making alternative payment arrangements where necessary, and publicise any changes through channels including Jobcentres and online at GOV.UK.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what conditions cases under the Child Maintenance Service will be moved onto collect and pay.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 20 January 2020



Parents are given the opportunity to avoid collection charges and use the Direct Pay Service, provided paying parents can pay their maintenance in full and on time. Where parents fail to pay their liability in full and on time, parents should notify the Child Maintenance Service who will take swift action to move the case to Collect & Pay to enforce payment and recover any arrears.

Attendance Allowance: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in (a) the City of York and (b) York Central constituency were in receipt of the (i) higher and (b) lower rate of attendance allowance in each year since 2010.

Guy Opperman: Information on the number of Attendance Allowance claimants receiving the lower and higher rate in York Central and York Outer Constituency in each year since 2010 is shown below. As of 2010 the constituency City of York was abolished, alongside the Vale of York Constituency. In their place the York Central and York Outer Constituencies were created on the Boundary Commission for England’s recommendation. Therefore, figures for the City of York were unavailable to answer this question.  York Central ConstituencyYork Outer Constituency Lower RateHigher RateTotalLower RateHigher RateTotal20109191,3492,2719021,6092,51520119081,2842,1948921,6122,51120128901,2352,1259121,5612,47420137951,1831,9798721,4842,35420147601,1661,9258401,5352,37320157061,1851,8888211,5892,40820167071,1601,8668011,5902,39320176791,1711,8557961,6102,40620186671,1571,8177971,7152,51020196411,2131,8577801,7092,492  Note: number of claimants as at May each year and relates to claimants receiving payment. The information is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in which work capability assessments received zero points on initial assessment had benefit subsequently awarded (a) on mandatory assessment and (b) on appeal, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in which work capability assessments received between zero and six points on initial assessment had benefit subsequently awarded (a) on mandatory re-assessment and (b) on appeal, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.The available information on Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals in relation to Employment Support Allowance Work Capability Assessments is published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in which personal independence payment assessments received zero points on initial assessment for the daily living allowance had benefit subsequently awarded (a) on mandatory assessment and (b) on appeal, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in which personal independence payment assessments received between zero and four points on initial assessment for the daily living allowance had benefit subsequently awarded (a) on mandatory assessment and (b) on appeal, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases in which personal independence payment assessments received zero points on initial assessment for the mobility allowance had benefit subsequently awarded (a) on mandatory assessment and (b) on appeal, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information for initial disallowance decisions following a PIP assessment, including the number where the award was changed after a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) or appeal is published as part of Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to October 2019, in Table 5c of Data tables: “PIP award rates, clearance/outstanding times and tracking of initial decisions following a PIP assessment through to mandatory reconsiderations or appeals, to October 2019”. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2019

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance arrears is owed through (a) the Child Maintenance Service and (b) the Child Support Agency.

Mims Davies: The information relating to Child Maintenance Service outstanding maintenance (arrears) is published and available online as part of the Child Maintenance Service statistics. The latest publication includes information to September 2019. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-september-2019-experimental The requested information is published in the National Tables, Table 11 (“How much maintenance the Child Maintenance Service has arranged”). This shows as at September 2019 child maintenance that remains be paid as £315.3m. The information relating to Child Support Agency arrears is published and available online as part of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics. The latest publication includes information to June 2019. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-june-2019-experimental The requested information is published in the National Tables, Table 2 (“Outstanding maintenance arrears on CSA systems”) and Table 4 (“Child Support Agency arrears transitioned to the Child Maintenance Service”). Table 2 shows outstanding maintenance on CSA systems as at June 2019 is £70,500 and table 4 shows outstanding maintenance on Child Maintenance Service is £701.4m

Social Security Benefits: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants for (i) personal independent payment, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) universal credit in (a) Wallasey, (b) Wirral, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West were transferred to the vulnerable persons team in each of the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: I can confirm that the Department does not centrally hold the information requested.DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups. DWP staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area for vulnerable claimants and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist support.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the mental health of claimants during the assessment process for (a) personal independent payment, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: We recognise that attending a Personal Independence Payment assessment or Work Capability Assessment for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance can be a stressful experience and that is why we do not carry out face-to-face assessments where there is enough existing evidence to determine benefit entitlement. Assessing claims on solely paper-based evidence avoids face-to-face assessments.The assessment of mental, cognitive and intellectual function is an integral part of all these assessments and all Health Professionals have undergone comprehensive training in the functional assessment of disability and mental health conditions. Before attending a face-to-face assessment, claimants are given the opportunity to alert their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have and the providers will meet any reasonable requests.In addition, Mental Function Champions support Health Professionals by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental and learning disabilities and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process.Furthermore, companions or advocates may play an active role in helping claimants answer questions where the claimant or Health Professional wishes them to do so. This may be particularly important where the claimant has a mental, cognitive or intellectual impairment.

Local Housing Allowance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 January 2020, HCWS29 on Welfare, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the freeze in local housing allowance on claimants in (a) London and (b) England.

Will Quince: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Housing Allowance: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Statement of 13 January 2020, Official Report HCWS 29, whether she has additional plans to reduce the gap between rents in London and local housing allowance.

Will Quince: From April 2020 Local Housing Allowance rates will be uprated by CPI, 1.7% in line with wider benefit uprating – ending the benefit freeze.In addition to ending the freeze, we also recently announced an extra £40 million in Discretionary Housing Payments for 2020/21, helping to tackle the most acute affordability pressures in the private rented sector.

Universal Credit: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people transferred onto universal credit in Torfaen constituency in the last 12 months.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Wales are claiming universal credit.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Wales have transferred onto universal credit in the last 12 months.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was for people to be migrated onto universal credit in Torfaen constituency in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: Universal Credit is now the main system of working age welfare support across the country. It is available in every Jobcentre, with a caseload of over 2.8 million claimants, growing every month, now able to access the additional support and flexibilities it offers. Most people only move to Universal Credit because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit. Data surrounding the number of households on Universal Credit in the parliamentary constituency of Torfaen and across Wales, along with payments issued in full and on time is published online and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html The Department has committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress surrounding our Move to Universal Credit pilot.

Personal Independence Payment: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were refused personal independence payment had that decision changed at mandatory reconsideration in Torfaen constituency in 2018-19.

Justin Tomlinson: In 2018-19, 1,110 initial decisions following a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment were made for claimants in the Torfaen constituency. Of the 470 claimants where the initial decision was not to award PIP, the number of cases where the award was changed at Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) was 20. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Universal Credit: Severe Disability Premium

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to complete the process of back paying claimants who were incorrectly moved from severe disability premium on to universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Carbon Emissions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) recent discussions she has had with farming unions on and (b) funding she plans to allocate to help in reducing carbon emissions after the UK leaves the EU.

Rebecca Pow: This Government is committed to meeting net zero by 2050, and in 2019, the UK became the first major economy in the world to have legislated for a net zero target to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050. Since the General Election, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has spoken with farming unions, amongst other groups to listen to their priorities for the year ahead. Engagement has included meetings with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), along with wider farming groups at the Oxford Farming Conference and Oxford Real Farming Conference. Discussions covered the importance of our British farmers being the climate and nature leaders that the world is looking for and how The Secretary of State will raise the profile of agriculture across Government at the new Cabinet Committee for Climate Change. The Secretary of State also mentioned that the UK will pioneer approaches that will show other governments what can be achieved if we rethink how we work with the land and produce our food to create a virtuous circle between agriculture, climate change, biodiversity, and investment. Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change are important goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and important objectives of Environmental Land Management (ELM). ELM could support this through providing funding for land management activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. We have also provided £50 million funding for Woodland Creation Carbon Guarantee grants that will boost our carbon offset market and provide long-term payments for land managers planting trees.

Marine Environment

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect marine life in the UK; and what steps the Government is taking with (a) counterparts in other countries and (b) representatives of marine life organisations to protect oceans around the world.

Rebecca Pow: The UK is a global leader in protecting the seas, the ocean and our marine life, and works with counterparts in the UK and overseas to help achieve these aims. Financed from the UK Official Development Assistance Budget, the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) will help eligible countries protect their marine resources from key human-generated stressors including plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. The BPF will also embrace the ocean’s role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Our work also includes the creation of 355 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protecting 25% of UK waters, including the recent designation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones. On 8 June 2019 we announced a review into Highly Protected Marine Areas in English waters, which is due to report later this year. Internationally, the UK has committed to continuing its leading role in global biodiversity conservation, including calling for at least 30 per cent of the ocean to be in MPAs by 2030 and negotiating hard to agree a global post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity that is both ambitious and transformational. We strongly support a new Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. We are committed to protecting vulnerable marine species including through action to reduce bycatch in fisheries. We work through a number of multilateral environmental agreements, international bodies and regional Fisheries Management Organisations to strengthen international protection for vulnerable marine species.

Developing a National Food Strategy Independent Review

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many responses have been received to the National Food Strategy’s Call for Evidence; and if she will make a statement on the progress of the independent review led by Henry Dimbleby.

George Eustice: The National Food Strategy independent review, led by Henry Dimbleby, was launched in June 2019. A Call for Evidence was held from 17 August 2019 to 25 October 2019. 1979 responses were received and these responses are currently being analysed. Since the review’s launch, Henry and his team have engaged extensively across the food system, academia, industry, civil society and citizens. This engagement will continue as the work progresses in order to ensure that the review’s recommendations are based upon robust analysis of evidence and diverse insights from across the food system. This includes a number of public engagement events in 2020, ensuring that citizens’ voices are heard as part of the process. An Interim Report will be published in early 2020 and the review’s final report and recommendations will be published in winter 2020/21.

Food: Waste

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what organisations the Government Food Waste and Surplus Champion has met with; and if she will make a statement on policies to reduce food waste.

Rebecca Pow: The UK Government’s Food Surplus and Waste Champion, Ben Elliot, has met with a wide range of stakeholders since taking up the role at the end of 2018. From small and large businesses across the hospitality, food manufacturing and grocery retail sectors to surplus food redistribution charities. In May 2019, The Champion hosted a major symposium Step up to the plate where key players from the food sector, along with social media influencers and well-known chefs, joined forces to pledge ground-breaking action to reduce food waste. The Resources and Waste Strategy Our waste our resources, a strategy for England published in 2018 sets out a range of policy actions to reduce food waste. This includes a £15 million food waste fund, a consultation on the mandatory annual reporting of food waste by businesses of an appropriate size as well as continued support of the cross sector collaboration through the Courtauld 2025 agreement.

Floods: Rural Areas

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has in place to support rural communities affected by flooding where cost-benefit calculations make it more difficult to fund schemes as a result of the dispersed nature of properties.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1 billion to maintain existing defences. This will also attract over £600 million in additional contributions through partnership funding. In addition to homes better protected, this investment will also protect 700,000 acres of agricultural land that will help avoid more than £1.5 billion worth of direct economic damages to agricultural land, benefiting rural communities. Of the £2.6 billion Defra funding, approximately £650 million will be allocated to local authorities for their defence improvement projects. Government funding policy recognises where deprivation is highest through higher funding payments. This also can help benefit rural communities where there is economic disadvantage. We will continue to work with the Environment Agency and HM Treasury to consider future investment needs and Government’s role in supporting the resilience of communities.

Recycling: Schools

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) funding and (b) other resources are available to local authorities to enable the provision of recycling at schools.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to increasing recycling rates. The Queen’s Speech committed the Government to bring forward our ambitious Environment Bill which introduces legislation so that a core set of materials (metal, plastic, paper and card, glass, food and garden waste) will be collected from all households, businesses and other organisations such as schools, in England, from 2023. Waste collection and recycling arrangements for schools are controlled and financed by schools themselves. One of Defra’s delivery partners, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), provides curriculum linked resources for schools and teachers to help teach pupils about recycling.https://partners.wrap.org.uk/campaigns/recycle-now/schools/

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in her Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

George Eustice: GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in Defra to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

George Eustice: Defra, as with other Government Departments, has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.Defra Health and Safety representatives can use their paid facility time for the following TU duties (this list is not exhaustive):Representing employees in consultation and discussions with the employer on health, safety or welfare,Investigating accidents, near misses and other potential hazards and dangerous occurrences in the workplaceInvestigating a complaint made by an employee they represent about their health, safety or welfare in the workplaceUndertaking training relevant to the role of H&S representative, beyond “Stage One”Defra makes the following provisions to enable Health and Safety Representatives to discharge their duties effectively, without using facility time.Undertaking “Stage One” Health and Safety training, as this course is recognised as providing good basic standard training and the department wants to ensure those carrying out Health and Safety functions are properly qualifiedCarrying out inspections where they form part of an agreed joint programAttending Joint Health and Safety Committee meetingsIn line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time in Defra for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer, including where this arises under “Regulations made under Section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”.The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Coal: Heating

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effects of a potential ban on house coal on former coalfield communities as part of the consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if she will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: As we said when we consulted on our proposals, we want to ensure that our measures achieve environmental benefits but do not have an adverse impact on vulnerable groups. Our response to the consultation will reflect this approach, and we intend to publish this in the near future.

Recycling

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the recycling rates were in (a) the City of York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.

Rebecca Pow: The ‘household waste’ recycling measure is available for individual local authorities and regions on a financial year basis. For the UK, the official harmonised recycling measure is the ‘waste from households’ recycling rate. Official reporting is on a calendar year basis. The measures are similar but not the same and are not directly comparable. ‘Waste from households’ is slightly narrower in the scope of waste it includes than ‘household waste’, and counts different materials towards recycling. A specific refinement to the ‘waste from households’ recycling rate introduced in 2017/18 was the inclusion of metal recovered and recycled from waste which has been through incineration (IBA metal). The ‘household waste’ recycling rate for York City Council, the Yorkshire and the Humber region and the UK official ‘waste from household’ recycling rates are summarised in the table below. Recycling Rates York City CouncilYorkshire and the Humber UK (excl. IBAm)UK (incl. IBAm) ‘Household Waste’  ‘Waste from Households’2010-1145.1%39.5%201040.4%-2011-1246.4%41.9%201142.9%-2012-1346.0%43.3%201243.9%-2013-1443.6%43.9%201344.1%-2014-1542.5%43.6%201444.9%-2015-1642.8%42.2%201544.2%44.6%2016-1742.5%42.9%201644.7%45.2%2017-1844.9%42.4%201745.0%45.7%2018-1943.6%42.9%2018--

Agricultural Products: Import Duties

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a revised no-deal tariff schedule for agricultural products during a transition period after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: After the UK leaves the EU with on 31 January 2020, we will enter a temporary implementation period which will apply until the end of December 2020. The UK will continue to import goods tariff free from within the EU and will continue to apply the EU’s Common External Tariff to goods imported from outside the EU during this period. At the end of the implementation period the Government will introduce a long-term tariff regime. Further information on this will be provided on GOV.UK at the appropriate time.

Home Office

Extinction Rebellion: Demonstrations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the name of any school pupil involved with the Extinction Rebellion protests was passed to (a) the Police and (b) the Prevent programme.

Brandon Lewis: This information would be held by the Police, who are operationally independent of the Home Office.

Retail Trade: Crime

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department holds information on the satisfaction levels of retailers with the police response to crime on their premises.

Kit Malthouse: Results from the Home Office’s ‘Commercial Victimisation Survey’ include information on business premises’ satisfaction levels with how police handle crime in the local area.Police satisfaction estimates are broken down by sector and are available for the Wholesale and retail sector. The latest estimates can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/828760/crime-against-businesses-other-2018-tables.odsIn addition, last year the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the Government’s response in due course

Retail Trade: Crime

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds data on the satisfaction levels of retailers on the police response to crime on their premises.

Kit Malthouse: Results from the Home Office’s ‘Commercial Victimisation Survey’ include information on business premises’ satisfaction levels with how police handle crime in the local area.Police satisfaction estimates are broken down by sector and are available for the Wholesale and retail sector. The latest estimates can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/828760/crime-against-businesses-other-2018-tables.odsIn addition, last year the Home Office launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the Government’s response in due course.

Police: Recruitment

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the wave 2 police officer recruitment targets for each police force area in England and Wales for 2021-22 will be published.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting 20,000 police officers over the next three years. The allocation of the first 6,000 additional officers to be recruited across England and Wales by the end of March 2021 was announced in October 2019.Allocations for years two and three of the uplift will be considered in the context of the Spending Review.https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-announces-first-wave-of-20000-police-officer-uplift

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timescale is for responding to the April 2019 consultation on Violence and abuse toward shop staff.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.To ensure that our response to retail crime is as robust as possible we work with a wide range of partners through the National Retail Crime Steering Group, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and British Retail Consortium.In addition, we launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the government’s response in due course.

National Security

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last had discussions with the European Commission to discuss security and intelligence cooperation after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: Home Office officials regularly engage with their counterparts in the European Commission and in other Member States on internal security cooperation post-exit through EU channels.The Ministerial team also engage with international counterparts on a regular basis.

Law Enforcement Data Service

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent on the development of the LEDS database in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: In the last 12 months (January 2019 – December 2019), the National Law Enforcement Data Programme has spent £42,056,745 which equates to an average monthly spend of £3.5m.The figures provided are within the allocated budget for the NLEDP programme. The programme remains on track to spend against its forecast for the remainder of this financial year.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effect of the General Data Protection Regulation on the right of recognised unions to access bargaining information in his Department in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

David T C Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. The Ministry of Justice provide employment services on our behalf. However, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the Ministry of Justice in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Wales Office: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of his Department's compliance with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

David T C Davies: The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (OSSW) understands that it has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code. The Office is not an employer in its own right. Our staff are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ provides trade union representation for OSSW staff.

Cabinet Office

Census: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking in response to the 12 December 2019 judgment of the High Court in R (Gill on behalf of the Sikh Federation) v The Cabinet Office [2019] EWHC 3407 (Admin) to ensure that the Minister has responsibility for deciding upon the final form of the census particulars and the census questionnaires; and whether he plans to include in that final form a Sikh ethnic tick box response option.

Chloe Smith: The claim for judicial review in respect of the making of the Census Order without a Sikh ethnicity tick-box, brought by Amrik Singh Gill on behalf of the Sikh Federation UK, was dismissed by the High Court in December. Permission to appeal to the High Court was refused. It would be inappropriate for Ministers to comment any further.The final topics and questions to be included in the 2021 Census will be set in secondary legislation. The draft Census Order will be presented to both Houses in due course.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Jeremy Quin: Cabinet Office has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.In line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually. Facility time, defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official (permitted by the official’s employer) includes, where this arises, under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974."The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Jeremy Quin: GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in the Cabinet Office to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Elections: Personation

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many convictions there have been for in-person voter fraud in (a) London, (b) the North West, (c) Chester and (d) the UK in the last five years.

Chloe Smith: Data on convictions for fraud offences is not collected or held by the Cabinet Office. The Electoral Commission reports on electoral fraud and holds more detailed information.

Sustainable Development

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the UK’s June 2019 Voluntary National Review of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be implemented by his Office to reflect the work required across government to achieve them.

Jeremy Quin: Cabinet Office continues to play an important role in maximising progress on the Government's priorities, including supporting a coordinated approach to domestic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), following the UK’s Voluntary National Review.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has adequate funds to pay the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019.

Jeremy Quin: Cabinet Office does have adequate funds to pay the increase in the National Living Wage, announced by the Government on 31 December 2019.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Jeremy Quin: The Government Property Agency holds contracts on behalf of the Cabinet Office. They continue to have regular discussions with facility management contractors.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Codes of Practice

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the compliance of the blog post entitled Two hands are a lot, published by Dominic Cummings on 2 January 2020, with paragraphs (a) 5, (b) 6 and (c)14 of his Department's December 2016 Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the Hon member to the response which I gave to PQ1411 on 14 January 2020.

Zero Hours Contracts: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) York Central constituency, (b) the City of York and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber  were employed on a zero-hours contract in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each subsequent year; and what steps his Department are taking to reduce that number.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 111.77 KB)

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the recruitment of civil servants can be delegated to special advisers by a minister.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the Hon member to the response which I gave to PQ1411 on 14 January 2020.

Weather: Death

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many excess winter deaths there have been in England in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 103.66 KB)

Treasury

Northern Ireland Executive

Darren Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Northern Ireland Executive will receive the full £1 billion extra funding agreed in the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the Conservative and Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party during the last Parliament.

Rishi Sunak: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 January 2020.The correct answer should have been:

The Confidence and Supply financial annex committed the UK Government to providing £1 billion to Northern Ireland. £736 763  million has been released so far and the release of further funding would take place following Parliament’s approval in the normal way through the Estimates process.

Rishi Sunak: The Confidence and Supply financial annex committed the UK Government to providing £1 billion to Northern Ireland. £736 763  million has been released so far and the release of further funding would take place following Parliament’s approval in the normal way through the Estimates process.

Freezing of Assets: Burma

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of the assets frozen under EU sanctions on targeted Burmese military and security personnel.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) undertakes an annual review of frozen assets in the UK, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI. Details of assets reported to OFSI in 2019 are not yet available and will be published in OFSI’s 2019-2020 Annual Review. Details of assets reported to OFSI in 2018 were published in OFSI’s 2018-2019 Annual Review. As of September 2018, £11.9 billion of frozen funds across all regimes were reported to be held by UK institutions. This figure is provided on an aggregate basis so as not to indirectly disclose the value of funds held by particular individuals.

Treasury: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Mr Simon Clarke: This government is committed to paying people a proper living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2020, the National Living Wage increases to £8.72 per hour. By 2024 the National Living Wage will rise to £10.50 per hour, reaching 66% of median UK earnings. The scope will be expanded to everyone aged 21 and over and is expected to benefit over 4 million low paid workers. All civil servants are paid at least the current statutory National Minimum or National Living Wage rates of £7.70 and £8.21 per hour respectively. The total number of civil servants in HM Treasury paid below £8.72 and £9.30 per hour was 0 (0% of all staff) as at 31st December 2019. The total number of civil servants in HM Treasury paid below £10 per hour was less than 5 (>1% of all staff) as at 31st December 2019. For the statutory NLW rate of £8.72 that applies from April 2020, the numbers are based on the total population regardless of whether they have reached the eligible age of 25 to receive the NLW.

Treasury: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Mr Simon Clarke: Facilities and building management services are provided to the Treasury under a 35-year PFI Agreement with Exchequer Partnerships. The cost of these services, which are delivered by Exchequer Partnership’s subcontractors, is included in the Unitary Payment.The Unitary Payment is uplifted annually by indexation. There is no mechanism under the PFI Agreement to allow Exchequer Partnerships to increase the Unitary Payment as a result of an increase to the National Living Wage, therefore no such discussions have taken place.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Deidre Brock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to implement the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive of the EU.

John Glen: The government transposed the vast majority of the provisions in the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive into domestic law through, ‘The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019’, which came into force on 10 January 2020. This transposition ensures the UK’s AML/CTF regime remains comprehensive, responsive to emerging threats, and in line with evolving international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force. The consultation on the implementation of the Directive committed to a further technical consultation on the details of the implementation of measures related to trust registration. This consultation will launch in early 2020 and will ensure the Trust Registration Service contains a robust and proportionate framework, which will be transposed into domestic law during 2020.

City Region Deals: Scotland

Jamie Stone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Audit Scotland's report on Scotland's City Region and Growth Deals, published 16 January 2020, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) effective auditing of Scottish City Region Deals and (b) funding from the Inverness and Highlands City Region Deal benefits the whole region.

Jamie Stone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to implement a Highlands specific Region and Growth Deal to work alongside the Inverness and Highlands City Region Deal.

Rishi Sunak: The UKG committed £53.1m to an Inverness and Highlands City Region Deal in March 2016 which covers the Highlands area. This is part of the £1.4bn the UK Government has announced for the funding of ten City and Growth Deals in Scotland. More recently, the Government has committed to provide 100% coverage of City and Growth Deals for Scotland. The Scottish Government is accountable for City and Growth Deals funding in the usual way and in line with the fiscal framework. Audits will be undertaken by Audit Scotland and the National Audit Office in the usual way. Detailed accountability and working arrangements are currently being agreed between the UK Government and Scotland Government via a Memorandum of Understanding which will be published in due course.

Air Passenger Duty

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits to (a) the environment, (b) regional airports and (c) regional economies of replacing Air Passenger Duty with an airport congestion charge.

Mr Simon Clarke: As announced on 14 January, HM Treasury is undertaking a review of Air Passenger Duty to ensure regional connectivity is strengthened while meeting the UK’s climate change commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The government takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and uses a range of levers at its disposal, including spending, taxation and regulatory policy, to meet its climate and environmental objectives.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2020 to Question 1349, with reference to the tax on the production and import of plastic packaging, what criteria his department used to determined that less than 30 per cent recycled content was the suitable point to apply that tax.

Mr Simon Clarke: At Budget 2018, the Government announced a world-leading new tax on businesses that produce or import plastic packaging which uses less than 30% recycled plastic, taking effect from April 2022. The Government wants to set a threshold for the level of recycled plastic in plastic packaging that is both ambitious and achievable. The Government was informed about current levels of recycled plastic and what would be possible in the future as part of its 2018 call for evidence on single-use plastic waste. The 30% threshold was based on this, as set out in the consultation the Government ran in 2019 on the initial proposed design for the tax. In the summary of responses to the 2019 consultation published last July, the Government noted the variety of views on the recycled content threshold and has since been continuing to consider which approaches to designing the tax will best support its objectives, are most administratively feasible, and do not have a disproportionate impact on business. The Government will set out next steps regarding the tax in due course.

Child Trust Fund

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Fund accounts were taken out between their introduction in September 2002 and their replacement by junior ISA's in January 2011; and how much was invested in them from public funds.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was contributed to Child Trust Funds from parents and relatives; and to how many accounts.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Funds remain unlinked with the current details of the beneficial owner.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money is invested in Child Trust Funds which will be eligible to be accessed by their beneficial holder from September 2020.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the financial firms who operate Child Trust Funds.

John Glen: HMRC has published the number of CTF and contributions in the following publications for the years requested. The following links provide the last edition of these publications. Link to “Child Trust Fund Statistical Report” – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255886/statistical-report.pdfLink to “Child Trust Funds: detailed distributional analysis” - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255881/dda.pdf HMRC does not have records of, nor have they made any estimations of, CTF accounts where the child or their parents is unaware of which firm is maintaining the account. CTF providers are required in legislation to send out regular statements to the contact for the account. However, although the primary relationship is between the account provider and the child’s parents, if they don’t know which provider is managing their child’s account, they can use the following online form to track the account. https://www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds HMRC estimates the market value of all Child Trust Funds (as at 2015-16), which will start to be eligible to be accessed by their beneficial holder from September 2020, to be £7,450 m. This estimate used the latest complete Child Trust Fund information available to HMRC – relating to 2015-16. This may not necessarily be reflective of the market value the accounts when they reach maturity. A complete list of authorised Child Trust Fund Providers is held at the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-authorised-child-trust-fund-providers/child-trust-fund-account-providers

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of staff in her Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Nigel Adams: No members of staff in DCMS would receive an increase in salary.This government is comitted to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2020, the National Living Wage increases to £8.72 per hour. By 2024 the National Living Wage will rise to £10.50 per hour, reaching 66% of median UK earnings. The scope will be expanded to everyone aged 21 and over and is expected to benefit over 4 million low paid workers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions she is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for her Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to her Department.

Nigel Adams: Facilities Management is provided to DCMS through arrangements with other government departments. DCMS therefore has no discussions with such private sector companies about cost increases.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) reasons for the underspend of the funding allocated to the National Citizen Service.

Helen Whately: The NCS’ budget is set based on the participation numbers. Stretching participation targets are set by DCMS year on year to help drive the NCS Trust to reach as many young people as possible.The underspend is as a result of the programme participation numbers falling below the target. DCMS works closely with NCS throughout the year providing a strong challenge against NCS’s full year financial forecasts.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of young people participating in the National Citizen Service.

Helen Whately: NCS has been the fastest growing youth organisation since its inception 10 years ago. In recent years, participation in the NCS programme has increased to around 100,000 per year. This equates to approximately 1 in 6 eligible young people participating in the programme. In 2014, 58,283 young people participated in comparison to 99,179 in 2017 (according to the latest published figures). The newly commissioned network, brand refresh and targeted recruitment marketing campaign are all expected to ensure that more young people benefit from the programme, following a year of change and transition.

Children and Young People

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department plans to develop a cross-government strategy for children and young people.

Helen Whately: Last year the government announced its intention to set out a long-term vision for young people and has been working to develop this. Building on this announcement, in September the Chancellor announced a £500m Youth Investment Fund to build 60 new youth centres across the country, refurbish around 360 existing youth facilities, and provide over 100 mobile facilities for harder to reach areas. The funding will also be used to ensure that young people have access to a range of positive activities and qualified youth workers.

Conference Centres: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department will take to promote (a) Wales and (b) the International Convention Centre in Newport, as a venue for major conferences and events.

Helen Whately: Business events and conferences are very important to the UK economy and we engage with the Wales Office along with the Welsh Government to support business events in Wales. Support is primarily provided by VisitBritain.The Government supports the delivery of VisitBritain’s Business Events Growth Programme and is committed to attracting more international business events to the UK. This April, VisitBritain will hold its flagship business tourism event, ‘MeetGB’, at the International Convention Centre Wales.Government support for the events sector is set out in the International Business Events Action Plan, which was published in June 2019.

House of Commons Commission

ICT: Parliamentary Estate

Caroline Lucas: To ask the hon. Member representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps Parliament is taking to (a) protect and (b) improve the rights of workers in the global information and communications technology sector through its (i) policies on and (ii) processes for procuring that technology on the parliamentary estate.

Pete Wishart: The Parliamentary Procurement and Commercial Service (PPCS), which manages procurement processes for the Parliamentary Digital Service, has no explicit policies in place associated with these matters primarily because, in keeping with wider HM Government procurement policies, we source nearly all of our information and technology (ICT) requirements through the digital marketplace managed by the Crown Commercial Service (part of the Cabinet Office hosted Government Commercial Function).Where a bespoke PPCS contract is entered into (whether in ICT or other categories), our standard terms include provisions enforcing the Living Wage and for certain Discrimination, Safeguarding & Human Rights. These will shortly be supplemented by provisions associated with the Modern Slavery Act where contractors will be obligated to assist Parliament with an investigation should Parliament harbour a reasonable suspicion that a “Specified Offence” has been or is being committed by any member of the supply chain, directly or indirectly in connection with the performance of the contract in question. Breach of this condition would entitle Parliament to terminate the contract in question with immediate effect.Additionally, the Parliamentary Procurement and Commercial Service in partnership with the Parliamentary Digital Service, seeks to ensure that suppliers evidence through their tender submissions and throughout the duration of the contract:compliance with health and safety law and best practice for the benefit of their staff and ours;implementation of equal opportunities, inclusivity and diversity policies in relation to staff when performing the contract;they ensure staff concerned with providing the goods and services work in conditions that are beneficial to their welfare, including being paid a fair wage for their work.

Parliament: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the hon. Member representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will enable the introduction of a parliamentary internship scheme for disabled people to improve their inclusion and representation in Parliament.

Pete Wishart: Disabled people are offered internships with Members of Parliament as part of the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme. There are thirteen places on this Scheme and at least three of these places are ringfenced for disabled people. However, in reality more than three places are offered to disabled people each year.This placement scheme opens up Parliament to talented individuals who would not have access to the traditional routes into Westminster by providing them with a nine-month paid internship in a Member’s office. At the outset of the expansion of the scheme in 2018 to include disabled people, the House worked closely with Disability Rights UK to ensure that the scheme was inclusive for disabled people.An accessibility plan is developed for each disabled intern to ensure that they are supported whilst on the programme. All interns are supported by their Member who is their line manager and the Member’s office manager. They are given pastoral support by the House Service as well as a buddy.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department would receive an increase in their salary in the event that their hourly pay rate was (a) £8.72, (b) £9.30 and (c) £10.

Julian Smith: This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2020, the National Living Wage increases to £8.72 per hour. By 2024, the National Living wage will rise to £10.50 per hour, reaching 66% of median UK earnings. The scope will be expanded to everyone aged 21 and over and is expected to benefit over 4 million low paid workers. All civil servants are paid at least the current statutory National Minimum or National Living Wage rates of £7.70 and £8.21 per hour respectively. The total number of civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office paid below £8.72 per hour was 1 (0.38% of all staff) as at 16 January 2020. These numbers remain the same for £9.30. The total number of civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office paid below £10.00 per hour was 3 (1.15% of all staff) as at 16 January 2020.

Northern Ireland Office: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the increase in the National Living Wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Julian Smith: My Department would not be involved in discussions with private sector companies undertaking facilities management work regarding cost of wage increases for their employees. My Department receives facilities management services in Stormont House, Belfast through collaborative contracts managed by Construction and Procurement Delivery, Department of Finance which is a Centre of Procurement Excellence. In London, facilities management services for 1 Horse Guards are included within the service charge from the landlord, Her Majesty's Treasury.

Broadband: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on (a) retaining and (b) ring fencing under the proposed new financial package for the Northern Ireland Executive the funding that was allocated under the previous confidence and supply agreement for the extension of broadband coverage in Northern Ireland.

Julian Smith: The Government committed to providing £1bn to Northern Ireland in the Confidence and Supply financial annex. So far in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, £763m has been released. The decision to release any further funding will be taken in due course as part of the normal Estimates process, which sets Departments’ budgets and devolved administrations’ block grants for the year

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to ensure that the new abortion regulations for Northern Ireland do not go further than those laid out in section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019.

Julian Smith: We have now finished a six-week consultation on the proposals for the new framework that would provide lawful access to abortion services in Northern Ireland, consistent with what is required under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019 - and the recommendations of the 2018 UN CEDAW Report. This consultation provided an opportunity for the people in Northern Ireland and relevant organisations to properly provide input and views on the question of how we can best deliver a proposal that is consistent with what is required under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019. We welcomed the submissions received particularly from health professionals, statutory bodies and people with lived experience in Northern Ireland - and appreciate all of those that have taken the time to engage with the consultation. We will now be carefully analysing the submissions received, and ensuring that the views received are reflected in the Government’s response, and inform the final framework that will be provided for in the regulations.

Women and Equalities

Candidates: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will replicate the Scottish Government's Access to Elected Office Fund to increase the inclusion of candidates with disabilities at the next general election.

Victoria Atkins: Political parties are responsible for their candidate selection and should lead the way in improving diverse representation, including from people with disabilities, at General Elections.Successive recent UK Governments have helped in this process. An Access to Elected Office Fund ran on a pilot basis from 2012 to 2015, and was followed by the EnAble Fund launched in 2018 as an interim measure to allow political parties time to put in place more support. We welcome the positive steps taken by some political parties to support their disabled candidates and encourage all parties to embrace this approach.